


When You Least Expect It

by CarleeAdison



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dance Teacher Nico, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Jason and Nico are dorks, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-03-13 08:53:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 86,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3375359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarleeAdison/pseuds/CarleeAdison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When graduate student Jason Grace picks up his niece from dance class, his life is turned upside down—and that may or may not have to do with the incredibly hot and apparently gay dance teacher. The problem? Said dance teacher doesn't appear to want anything to do with Jason.</p><p>Dance is Nico di Angelo's priority. Always has been. He can't waste time with things like relationships. But gods, if Jason isn't the most persistent guy in the whole damn universe...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first chapter of that dance AU I've been talking about. I didn't expect to be writing this before finishing Murder Suspect but SOMEONE (who totally knows who he is) has been very adamant about this story and so SOMEONE is getting his long awaited fic (Happy Birthday). This won't be as long as Murder Suspect (she said hopefully) but it is going to have multiple chapters, so I'll have to divide my time between the two stories. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Olympic Dance Studio. That was what the sea-green sign hanging over the front door read. The building itself was nothing too special, a single story probably only big enough for one or two dance rooms—or whatever they were called. The studio was placed neatly between a bakery and a baby clothing store and looked nothing at all like a place Jason wanted to spend his Thursday night.

Thalia _so_ owed him for this.

Sure, Jason hadn’t had any cement plans per se—as a full-time grad student working toward his masters in Classics, he rarely actually went out with friends, but he also rarely left his apartment to begin with. Naturally, a last minute outing to pick up his six year old niece from her dance class did not rank very high on Jason’s list of fun.

Jason didn’t see himself as having much of a choice, however. No one dared tell Thalia Grace no, and that included her younger brother. Heaving a great sigh, Jason walked through the front door.

The young woman sitting behind the welcome desk pushed her glasses up her nose and appraised Jason. “Can I help you?” She asked in a chipper yet somewhat confused voice. She probably hadn’t seen many twenty-two year old guys pass through the studio in her days, Jason figured. Maybe she thought Jason was a pedophile. The whole ordeal did seem a little pedophilic, he had to admit.

“Uhhh, I’m here to pick up my niece?” Jason said, hating the way it sounded like a question. _Yeah,_ _I’m here to abduct a young girl. Got any of those?_ “Her name is Zoë Grace.”

“Oh,” the receptionist girl said, apparently relieved that Jason wasn’t some kind of creep. “She’s in room two, they should be done in five minutes or so. The room has a one-way mirror, if you’d like to watch.” She motioned down a small hallway, where lo-and-behold, a group of seven or so woman stood watching with mild interest.

“Okay, thanks, uh…”

“Mellie,” the girl chirped.

“Thanks Mellie.”

Watch the little girls dance? Stand with the housewives and listen to them gossip? Yeah, Jason would go sit on one of those lovely and unoccupied benches.

He tried to imagine Thalia standing up there, with her choppy black hair and ripped jeans and spiked leather jacket and nose ring. She probably also waited on the bench. If only she were here today, they could have started a club. Then again, if she were here Jason wouldn’t need to be.

 _Speak of the devil,_ he thought as his prone vibrated in his pocket.

_ Hey, did you get there okay? _

**_Yes,_** Jason replied, **_you better sing my praises for this._**

_ I already sing your praises, little bro. _

**_;)_ **

“A homosexual, surely,” one of the moms standing by the window muttered, causing Jason to freeze. Was she talking about him? All he had done was walk in and sit down. Could he be _that_ obvious?

He didn’t see how, considering his own parents hadn’t realized until Jason’s senior year of high school, when his stepmother arrived home early and accidentally walked in on Jason and his boyfriend at the time having sex.  

Even that seemed like a fond memory compared to this. Sure, Jason loved spending time withZoë, but being around the shallow housewives while they pretended that the other mothers’ daughters were good dancers with their fake little smiles and transparent compliments reminded Jason of being a kid again. Reminded him of always going over to friends’ houses and worrying that their mothers hated him, that somehow they knew Jason was unlike the other boys. He always felt like they were judging him.

He still did.

Only, these women weren’t looking at Jason. In fact, he didn’t think a single one had even noticed him. How curious. Jason stood, approaching the group of moms while still keeping a safe distance. He peered through the window-mirror for the first time. Through the glass Jason saw the other walls, also covered mostly by mirrors, which disoriented him momentarily. In the center of the room a dozen girls—all around six or seven years old—danced somewhat clumsily, kicking their legs up in what probably should have been unison, but wasn’t. The sight made Jason chuckle. Zoë stood among them, a bright smile on her face as she glided forward. Funny, Jason could have sworn this was a ballet class, but the way they danced lent itself more toward jazz.

And then Jason’s eyes landed on the instructor.

_Holy. Fucking. Shit._

Jason hadn’t known what he’d expected—an elderly woman perhaps, with some severe ballerina bun, or maybe a young high-school age girl with a perky upturned nose and overly wide smile.

He’d never imagined that the dance teacher could be a… guy.

A hot, hot, _fucking hot as hell_ guy.

He had black hair, and not the dyed kind either, genuine black hair, which was pulled back into a small ponytail and only marginally darker than his eyes. Jason watched in awe as he danced with the kind of focus usually reserved for brain surgeons. Smoke alarms could be going off and the dark haired dancer wouldn’t even blink. While the little girls were unbalanced and slightly unsynchronized in their motions, the teacher’s lithe form moved like water, gliding through the moves with a fluid grace that completely dominated Jason’s attention.

And all Jason could think was: _please, for the love of gods, be over eighteen._ Jason could barely remember the last time he’d wanted someone so badly. 

He tore his eyes away long enough to message his sister.

**_Holy shot._ **

**_Holu shit*_ **

**_Holy shit!*_ **

He could barely keep his eyes on the cell phone. Not while he could be admiring _him._

Thalia texted back almost immediately.

_ Lol, I’ll take it you noticed the instructor? _

**_H O L Y  S H I T !_ **

Back in the room, the dance came to an end, much to Jason’s disappointment. His phone vibrated again.

_ His name is Nico. He’s gay. And in college. You’re welcome. _

Nico. Even his name was appealing. Yeah, Jason could definitely fuck a Nico.

 _Wait a minute…_ Jason glanced between the phone and Nico.

That little evil mastermind.

**_You didn’t even have to work late, did you?_ **

_ Nope. You’re welcome! ;) _

Jason didn’t know if he wanted to kill his meddling sister or hug her.

Then he glanced down at his own appearance—gray sweatpants, navy hoodie, wearing his glasses instead of his contacts—and decided that he’d definitely kill her. She could have fucking warned him he’d be meeting the hottest gay guy this side of Berkeley.

The girls gathered around and began to head for the door, with Nico at the back of the group. He appeared to be telling the girls something, but Jason couldn’t hear him. Gods, he could only imagine what Nico’s voice sounded like.

The door opened and the first of the girls came skipping into the waiting area. The fourth one out was Zoë, who completely lit up upon seeing Jason. “Uncle Jason!” She squealed, jumping up for a hug. Jason chuckled and caught her, momentarily distracted from his Nico fixation.

“Hey, shorty,” he said, hugging her briefly before placing her back on her feet. The six year old crossed her arms.

“Uncle Jason, I’m one of the tallest girls in class. You’re just a giant!”

Jason prepared to tell her that she would always be short to him when Nico finally exited the dance room. It was a good thing he’d already returned his niece to her feet or he just may have dropped her. If possible, Nico was even more gorgeous close up. His pale skin glistened—probably with sweat, but that didn’t matter to Jason. It was hot the way strands of hair stuck to his forehead. In fact, Jason wouldn’t mind to see the dancer sweaty in a whole other environment.   _Get your mind out of the damn gutter,_ he chided himself.

Suddenly, those big dark eyes locked on Jason and the dancer stumbled forward on his next step, his eyes widening in the most alluring way. Jason figured he should like, smile at him or something, but he couldn’t seem to make his mouth muscles work. _Wow,_ he thought. Despite the fact that they were surrounded by little girls and their uptight mothers, Jason wanted to go up to Nico, push him against the nearest wall, and kiss him senseless. And well, maybe a little more than just that.

About five seconds later he came to his senses and realized he was still staring at the dance teacher. Patting Zoë’shead affectionately, he steeled up his nerves and approached Nico, who also seemed to have composed himself. The young man had an indifferent expression on his face, so much the opposite of the passion and focus from when he’d danced before. Jason yearned to see that intensity again—wondered if he’d look like that in the bedroom.

Okay, maybe thirteen months had been a little too long to go without sex, Jason realized. This guy was literally a complete stranger and here Jason was, imagining all the things he’d like to do with him.

Jason came to a stop in front of the dark haired male, cursing himself for deciding to come flirt with the hot dancer while he was in such ratty clothes. Not to mention that with his glasses on Jason probably looked like an absolute fucking idiot. Certainly, Jason could have made a better first impression than this.

“Hi,” he greeted. Not even a hey. Who even said “hi” anymore? Gods, he probably already sounded like a loser. “I’m Jason, Zoë’s uncle.”

Nico quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “You and Thalia hardly look alike,” he observed, which wasn’t untrue. Other than the vivid blue color of their eyes, Jason and Thalia couldn’t look less alike. Jason’s friend Piper has one said that Jason had the typical All-American boy look going on (If the All-American boy were gay, she had laughed), while Thalia resembled some sort of punk rock fairy.

“Yeah, I’m a little taller,” Jason replied, which was probably the worst joke in all of history.

Nico looked confused. “Is there anything I can do for you, Jason?”

_Holy shit yes, repeat that statement on your knees while you’re pulling my pants down._

“I just wanted to say that I saw you dancing at the end. You’re really good.”

Jason needed to get a grip. He was far too horny all of a sudden. Soon enough it would start to show. Probably not a good idea to get turned on in a dance studio full of little girls…

“Well, I’d hope so,” Nico retorted, though he didn’t meet Jason’s eyes. Had his ears been red before? He pushed a damp bang away from his eyes. “I _am_ the teacher. And a dance major.”

“Do you go to Berkeley? I do, but I’m getting my master’s now.”

“Congratulations. And yes, but that’s kind of implied considering we’re all of one and a half miles from campus, isn’t it?”

Jason’s cheeks flushed with warmth. “Oh, right.”

“Uncle Jason!” Zoëcalled, coming up behind him and tugging on his hoodie, “Did you see me dance? Mr. Nico started teaching us this new routine and we’re going to have a recital in December! You’ll come, right?”

“Of course I will,” he replied, looking away from Nico momentarily to smile at the girl. Even if it hadn’t been for the hot teacher, Jason would have been happy to support his niece. Zoë had been one of Jason’s most important people since the day she was born. Growing up without any father in the picture, he felt a special responsibility to her.

She hugged him tightly. “Yay! Yay! I have to get my bag! I’ll be right back. We better get ice cream!” The girl scampered off.

Jason turned back to the dark haired boy, who appeared rather indifferent. Not exactly the easiest guy to talk to, Jason mused. “So,” Jason said, “Do you like ice cream? Or like, dinner? Or uh, I mean, do you… date?”

Oh yeah, Jason was the _smoothest._

Both of the dancer’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re asking me out?”

Jason felt far too warm in his hoodie and sweatpants. “Uh, maybe. I mean, I don’t normally look like this. I mean, I clean up nicely, uh…” Shit, Jason had no game. None at all. Once upon a time he’d had little trouble talking to hot guys. Once upon a time he got laid more than once every thirteen months.

Nico looked at Jason as if he were some particularly confusing dance routine. Around them, mothers and daughters were leaving, the little girls yelling out goodbyes to each other while their mothers typed away on cell phones. And Jason, Jason was frozen.

“You don’t even know me,” Nico stated.

“Well, I’d be interested in getting to know you…” Jason smiled genuinely at the dancer, which wasn’t a lie. There was something intriguing about Nico, and it wasn’t just the fact that Jason wanted to get him in his bed.  

For a moment, both of them were silent. Then Nico schooled his features and declared, in one breath, “I don’t have time to date, especially not the uncles of my students.”

He walked away without a word. Jason deflated, his shoulders slumping and his eyes hopelessly following the awkward escape the younger man was making. The fluidity of his body during the dance routine seemed like a distant memory now. Just like Jason’s dignity.

 

...

 

“Complete rejection, Thals. I totally fucked up. Like, I could barely even talk. It was humiliating.”

Thalia Grace stretched out her legs across the couch, sipping her wine casually. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, Jay Jay.”

Jason rubbed his forehead. Maybe he needed some wine before he left, too. “No, it was literally that bad. And I told you, stop calling me that, I’m twenty-two years old, not eight.”

Thalia snorted. “You ever consider you’re just being a drama queen? Hey, remember the time Dad actually gave decent advice? What do you do when you fall off the horse?”

“Sue the person who sold you the horse?” Jason offered, pouring himself a glass of Merlot.

“Jason, stop being such a quitter!” Thalia scolded, smacking his arm lightly. “You’re young, you’re good looking, you’re smart, and you know, you used to have a sense of humor. At one point.”

Jason bristled. “What does that mean?” Just because Jason cared about school and spent a lot of time studying, didn’t mean he was a _complete_ stick in the mud.

He hoped.

“It means that you’ve been out of the game for a while. You’re out of practice, but I know for a fact that you can be funny… and charming, too. What you’re lacking, little brother, is some confidence.”

“Complete rejection, Thalia. He said he doesn’t date people with relations to his students, remember?”

The black-haired girl rose and reached for the TV remote, switching it off. “That’s such a bullshit excuse, Jay Jay. There’s no rule against it. My bet is that, as cute as he may be, that little dance teacher is just as removed from the dating world as you are. He might even be more wound up than you.”

“Ha ha,” Jason remarked.

“Just try, okay? If you want to get to know him, or date him, or whatever you want to do with him, try again. I’m pretty sure Mr. ‘I’m Getting My Master’s Degree’ doesn’t give up so easily.”

How could Jason say no to that? “Fine, fine, I’ll give it another shot. But I doubt anything will come from it.”

Thalia smirked to herself, looking more smug than the Cheshire Cat. Jason gulped. That was the face of a woman up to no good. “Well, if anything does come from it, I’m expecting you to take Zoë and I out for a steak dinner.”

“Fine.”

“I think I’ll order a filet.”

 

…

 

Looking back on the evening, Nico di Angelo wished he hadn’t even gone in to work at all. Balancing college classes, dancing, and work was enough of a challenge for Nico _without_ throwing hot and apparently gay guys into the mix. No. No no no.

After all, Nico had decided after his last shitty attempt at romance that nothing would ever be put in front of dancing again. Nothing that would even partially distract Nico from dance could be tolerated.

And that giant dorky blond had “distraction” written all over him.

Gods, it had sure taken Nico long enough to get his bearings, though. Yes, Nico always lacked the same grace in his actual life that he had while dancing, but he normally didn’t stumble over his own feet at the sight of an attractive guy. Okay, a _really_ attractive guy. Shit, how did anyone make a hoodie and sweatpants and glasses look good? Was he a college student or a damn Abercrombie model? And how could a guy that looked _that_ good ever look at Nico and want to ask _him_ on a date? Nico, who had undoubtedly looked like a sweaty mess.

Jason probably had an ulterior motive, which was even more the reason to say no. Nico had more dignity than that.

Now, that didn’t make him want to jump the blond guy’s bones any less, but he’d keep trying to convince himself otherwise. Nico’s sex drive did not control him. He wouldn’t let that happen.

There was simply no time for Jason Grace in Nico’s world, and that was life.

Still, Nico couldn’t help but think about the guy the entire walk back to his apartment.

When he arrived home, Nico found his roommate Reyna angrily flipping the pages of a textbook.

“Careful, or you’ll rip a page,” Nico teased, kicking off his shoes. Reyna evil-eyed him.

“I hate this class,” she lamented. “How was work?”

Nico shrugged, passing by the couch and heading for his bedroom. “Fine,” he lied.

“Uh huh, what happened?” Reyna said, stopping Nico with the power of her words. Sometimes Nico hated having such an insightful best friend. If Percy were his roommate, Nico could get anything past him. Though, he supposed Percy was distracted by other things these days. Or rather, people.

“It’s nothing, really. Some guy was picking up his niece and he tried to flirt with me, I guess.”

“You guess?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Shouldn’t you be studying or something?” Nico asked, nodding at her discarded textbook and trying not to picture Jason’s intense blue eyes or irresistibly dorky smile.

“Was he hot?”

“Maybe a little. Doesn’t matter anyway.”

“When’s the last time you went on a date?”

“When’s the last time _you_ want on a date,” he retorted.

“Fair enough,” she conceded. “Though, to be fair, _I_ don’t have apparently attractive men hitting on me.”

“I told you, it really wasn’t anything. Don’t make a big deal of it.”

Reyna shrugged and picked her book back up. “Okay, if you say so. But if you do want to talk…”

“Yeah yeah, you’ll be the first person I go to.”

Sometimes Reyna acted like more of a big sister to Nico than his own big sister. Ironic, since Reyna was Bianca's age. In the over five years Nico and Reyna had been friends, even during the two years Reyna had been in university while Nico finished out high school, Reyna had made it her job to look out for Nico in all aspects of life—dating included.

Octavian probably still couldn’t chew right.

Nico shook the thought away. He didn’t let his mind wander down _that_ path anymore.

Reyna had gone back to studying, so Nico retreated to his bedroom.

He’d told Reyna what happened with Jason earlier hadn’t been a big deal, but didn’t know how true that statement actually was.

Jason could present a problem if he continued to pursue Nico. Just a minute long conversation with the guy and Nico had been playing it back in his head for the last hour. The gods only knew what would happen if they spoke a second time. Though, maybe Nico was getting worried over nothing. In the five months that he’d been teaching Zoë Grace, this was the first time Nico laid eyes on her sexy uncle, and it was likely to be the last time, unless Jason turned into a first grade girl and enrolled in the class.

_Crisis averted, then. I’ll never have to see him again._

Or at least, so he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just kind of setting everything up, the other ones will probably be longer. If this is the first time reading a story by me, I'd like to take this opportunity to go ahead and tell you to follow me on tumblr at nephilimgirlbooks. I always say when I'm updating my fics plus I post teasers and it's a great way to contact me. I always tag posts about my writing as #nephilimgirlbooks. If you want to message me, you can also use fanfiction net, where my name is Carlee Adison. This fic will also be posted there. Okay, I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Oh! A note to all my Murder Suspect readers, check my tumblr or my AO3 account in the next day or so for a surprise ;)


	2. Totally Not Stalking You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! Chapter 2! I am still in disbelief that this story has almost 1000 hits already. Thank you to everyone who bookmarked it, commented, or even left kudos. You guys rock.

Nico. Nico. Nico. Nico. The name rattled through Jason’s brain all hours of the day. Thoughts of the gorgeous dancer plagued him all weekend long. He hadn’t been so intrigued by someone since…

Jason needed to know more about the boy. What did he like to do when he wasn’t dancing? What made him laugh? Did he like going out for dinner or eating in? Was he into blonds?

Hell, Jason didn’t even know his last name.

He had to see him again. And soon.

By Monday morning, Jason decided to call Thalia. “When does Zoëhave dance class again?” He said as a greeting immediately after his sister answered the phone.

Thalia laughed. “She dances every Tuesday and Thursday from six to seven. Planning on seeing Nico again?”

Jason nodded before realizing that the dark-haired girl couldn’t see him. “And this time I’m going to be prepared. I have to show him I’m capable of not looking like a slob and talking like an idiot.”

“Well, you know, I guess I could let you pick her up from dance tomorrow evening. Maybe Hylla and I will go get drinks or something.” Hylla and Thalia worked together and often went out for girls’ nights in which they got drinks and talked shit about coworkers, something Jason only knew because he was the babysitter on those nights.

“Yeah, I think I could make time in my schedule to pick her up,” Jason replied, unable to stop the huge smile from forming on his face. In just over a day, Jason would get to see his dancer again.

“I thought you’d say that.”

 

…

 

Jason groaned and threw the shirt to the bed, where it joined the pile of rejects. He didn’t want to look like he was trying _too_ hard to look good for Nico, but he also wanted to actually look good. What kind of shirt said “I know you tried to shrug me off but you’re so damn hot so please just go out with me. Oh, and can we fuck?”

A button down was too much. A polo was _way_ too douchebaggy. But was just a cotton t-shirt too plain? Fuck everything. Jason was never going to get in that boy’s pants.

It was time to call in reinforcements. He pulled out his cellphone.

“Hello?” A cheery voice answered.

“Piper, come upstairs, code red.”

“Give me about…. Forty-three seconds.” She hung up.

By the time Jason had crossed his apartment to the front door and opened it, he could hear his friend’s footsteps rounding the corner. “What’s up?” Piper McLean asked, tightening her ponytail and inviting herself into the apartment. Jason smiled to himself and shut the door. In the few years they’d known each other, he had always been able to go to Piper with any kind of relationship problem.

The freshman girl who had talked herself into a sophomore dorm as a freshman, Jason had decided, could do just about anything. “I met a guy.”

Piper whipped her head to stare at him, her dark ponytail flying out behind her. “Get the fuck out, when?”

“Thursday. He’s a dance major and he teaches Zoë’sdance class. His name is Nico. He’s so fucking hot, Pipes.”

“This is awesome! Why the code red?” She plopped down on Jason’s couch.

“I have lost my ability to talk to guys. And I was awkward as fuck and just so uncool and I tried to ask him out.”

“He rejected you, I’m guessing?” She crossed her legs and propped up her head with her hand, watching Jason with complete focus.

Jason nodded miserably. “So I’m picking up Zoë from dance again today and this time I have to look good and act like I’m not a complete idiot. Help me!”

She gave an understanding nod and rose from the couch. “Follow me.”

They made their way back to Jason’s room. Piper still wore her yoga pants and jacket, so she had probably taught a class at the student gym that afternoon. Even though her father made more than enough to pay for her education, Piper preferred to earn her own spending money. Although, Jason suspected she also did it to make their mutual friend, Leo—who had to work as a mechanic part time in order to afford university—feel like less of an outcast.

Piper began to sift through the shirts strewn across Jason’s bed. “Hmmm,” she hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “If you want to look like a pretentious asshole, go with the Polo. If you want to look like _Jason,_ ”she crossed to his closet and withdrew a navy cotton t-shirt, “Wear this.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “That’s just a t-shirt.”

“A t-shirt that will show off your arms. You may barely go out but you don’t skip out on the gym,” she laughed. “Let Dancer Boy see your muscles. And wear these jeans,” she held out a pair of jeans that Jason probably hadn’t worn in months. Actually, when was the last time he wore _any_ of his jeans?

Jason headed to the bathroom to try on the attire Piper had selected along with his contact lenses.

Looking in the mirror, Jason found that he almost resembled his previous self. The Jason Grace that went out to parties and met guys and got laid. What had ever happened to that Jason? He exited the bathroom hesitantly.

Piper clapped and whistled. “Who is that hot man over there?”

“Shut up,” he mumbled, feeling his face heat up.

“I’m sorry, it’s just refreshing to see you pursuing something other than your grades.”

He rolled his eyes, trying to will his blush away. “It’s probably not going to change anything. He rejected me.”

“You said you just flubbed over your words and acted like an idiot. How about this time you just try to be yourself?”

Jason shook his head and sat on the bed. “You haven’t seen him. Just being around him turns me into a nervous wreck. And watching him _dance._ Fuck.”

“Whoa, horsey. I’m sure he’s just a normal guy. No need to put him on a pedestal, right?”

Jason recalled the way Nico had moved across the dance floor, the way his body had seemed like liquid. The absolute focus in his nearly black eyes. However, this same boy had also tripped coming out of the room and spoke in an abrupt and uncomfortable manner. Maybe no one was flawless. Jason could talk to him. Jason could be himself.

He only hoped that being himself would be enough.

 

…

 

Nico had never exactly dreamed of instructing six year olds to chasse, but he supposed there were worse ways to make money. The studio paid him well enough, and allowed him to use the studio for his own practicing before or after lessons whenever he pleased.

Plus, the little girls respected him, they looked up to him. It was refreshing, considering no one else did. Being a gay teenage dance major didn’t earn him much credit among adults. And by much, he meant not at all. In fact, he’d fought with his father about pursuing dance ever since he was thirteen years old. If it hadn’t been for the influence of Persephone, Nico’s stepmother, he would likely be pre-med and pulling his hair out like his friend Will.

Today however, Nico didn’t enjoy his job so much. Each time his eyes fell on Zoë Grace, he was reminded of her uncle. _“Do you… date?”_ The words reverberated through his skull.

Focus. He needed to focus. The lesson was almost over, so Nico had the girls run through the routine one last time. Luckily, thoughts of Jason hadn’t tampered with Nico’s ability to dance. Yet.

“Okay, girls, on Thursday we’re going to learn the last portion of the routine.”

“Mr. Nico, when do we get our new costumes?” Lacy asked, tugging anxiously on her braid.

“Not for a few more weeks, Lacy,” Nico replied, patting her head gently.

“Awwww, I want them _noooow._ ”

“It’s okay, Lacy,” Zoë piped up, “Maybe they’re just taking the time to add extra sparkles.”

She looked like Thalia, with her black hair and fair skin. But her eyes also looked just like her mother’s, whose eyes looked just like her brother’s. Holy shit, five days and Nico still couldn’t help but think of him. Being back in the dance studio certainly didn’t help.

The young girls began heading for the door, laughing and skipping and talking about the apparently never-ending drama of first grade.

Nico followed out behind them, smirking at the realization that six year olds and college students weren’t as different as one might think.

He’d barely stepped out of the room when he saw him. _Him_ him. Jason Fucking Grace talking to his niece, even more stupidly good looking than before. Apparently, he’d decided to not wear his pajamas today, and holy shit did it ever pay off. His sweatpants and hoodie hadn’t properly showcased his strong chest, his muscular arms, his perfectly shaped a—

Nico averted his eyes. _Don’t check him out. Don’t. You. Dare._

Why had he come back? Was it really so much for Thalia to come pick up her own kid? Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck._

He wasnot going to talk to him. He was not going to talk to him. He was _not_ going to—

“Hey,” the last voice Nico wanted to hear greeted. Nico glanced up and there was the blond, just two feet in front of him with a nervous smile on his face that was so endearing it ought to be illegal.

“You’re back,” Nico said distastefully, taking a chance and meeting the gorgeous guy’s eyes. He just had to be as unfriendly and clear as possible. Then Jason would get it, right? Gods, Nico hoped so.

_I don’t need your dorky smile distracting me. Get lost, hot person._

“I think we got off on the wrong foot last week, I wanted to apologize.”

“Not used to getting rejected?” Nico inquired, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

Jason gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t talk to guys very often. I mean, except for my best friend Leo, but I don’t mean like friend guys, I mean like—”

“You talk a lot,” Nico noted, brushing past the taller male. _Just walk away, Nico. Avoid conversation._

“I think I came on a little strong last week, and I’d like a chance to start over,” Jason said, following after him.

Nico glanced at the mothers around them, hoping like hell that none of them were listening in on this conversation. He could already tell by the way most of them looked at him that they weren’t Nico di Angelo fans.

He turned around with a sigh. “Jason, I already told you I don’t date relatives of my students.”

“Then it won’t be a date,” Jason said. “What about friendly coffee? I could use another friend.”

Zoë sat in the corner happily playing on an iPhone. Probably Jason’s. The evil genius. Nico could really use the distraction of that little six year old about now.

“Pass. I’m busy, and I have plenty of friends.” What would it take? Nico worried that if the blond hung around much longer, he’d pull him into the storage closet and do unspeakable things. He had a little scar on his lip, Nico now noticed, and God if that wasn’t the hottest thing. Nico wanted to lick it.

_FUCK!_

He just _had_ to be a damn blond, didn’t he?

“What if I said please?”

“Goodbye, Jason.” He turned and retreated back into the dance room, practically slamming the door behind him.

 

…

 

Nico didn’t leave the dance studio until well after ten o’clock. After all, he had routines of his own to work on. He had a recital in just over a month in San Francisco that he had to nail. If Nico had a hope of making it in the dancing world after college he had to stay absolutely focused on practicing. Being good—the best in his class, even, according to one of his instructors—was not enough.

Then of course, there was the statewide contest in February. _Octavian_ would be there, without a doubt in Nico’s mind. He hadn’t seen him since last February, and he would be more than happy to never see the bastard again.

Though, Nico didn’t exactly have a history of things going his way, did he?

He sighed.

 

…

 

“He makes me so mad!” Jason said, barging into Thalia’s home that night.

Thalia and Hylla sat on the couch, sipping wine—Thalia’s favorite pastime, apparently.

“Hi, Jason,” Hylla greeted, pouring herself another glass. “Hey, Zoë!”

The six year old smiled shyly, only looking up from her game on Jason’s cell phone momentarily.

“Things didn’t go so well with Nico, I’m guessing?” Thalia frowned, rising from the couch and making her way to her younger brother.

“Still pursuing the dance teacher?” Hylla asked. Of course. Jason should have known his sister would discuss his romantic life with her. They discussed everything.

He decided he’d chew her out for it… later. “It’s useless. He doesn’t even want to try to be my friend, let alone let me take him out.”

“What if you got Mr. Nico some flowers?” Zoë piped up, not at all phased by the idea of her uncle wanting to date her dance teacher.

“I don’t know if flowers will do me much good, Shorty,” he sighed.

“Oh, I bet he’ll lighten up eventually,” Thalia said, a strange smile on her face. “Those Grace blue eyes can get you anywhere in life.

“Who knows, deep down this kid might even want you just as much as you want him,” Hylla added, to which Jason snorted.

“Yeah, doubtful.”

 

…

 

Nico was about ninety percent sure that whatever his professor was lecturing on would be on his final.

Luckily, he had absorbed zero percent of the man’s words.

Looking down at his notebook to check if—by some miracle—his brain had taken notes for him, Nico instead realized the he’d absentmindedly been sketching Jason’s eyes across the lined page.

Damn it. Damn it.

Now the blond distracted Nico in class, too?

He frowned at the picture. They were Jason’s eyes, but they weren’t the hypnotic blue color. Just stupid pencil shading. Why it bothered him, Nico didn’t know.

Actually, he didn’t know much of anything when it came to Jason Grace.

Okay, staring at those pencil shaded eyes was going to just piss him off. Nico withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and searched the stupid idiot’s name, tacking _Berkeley, CA_ to the end in case any other Jason Graces were floating around.

Articles from high school and social network profiles appeared before his eyes, accompanied with dozens of image results. But, rather than indulge himself and scroll through the photos for the rest of class, Nico dropped the phone like a hot coal. No way was he going to stoop to internet stalking a guy, especially not one that had the potential to fuck up all of Nico’s plans.

 _Goodbye, Jason Grace._ He tore the page from his notebook and started to shred it methodically between his fingers. _You are not a part of my life._

Unfortunately, Nico realized he did know one thing about Jason Grace, after all. He’d be back.

 

…

 

Nico di Angelo. That was his full name, as stated on Olympic Dance Studio’s website _. Nico di Angelo._ Jason could say it out loud over and over again without his tongue or lips tiring. Just when he thought the dancer couldn’t get any hotter, he had to go and have a full name that sounded like fucking music.

Nico di Angelo, as fate would have it, was the only person on the internet with that name. He didn’t seem to have much in the area of websites and personal life, but there were plenty of pictures of him at dance competitions, and even a few videos—though Jason wasn’t sure if it was right to ogle Nico in them considering that many of the videos were over two years old and Nico was probably just an underage high schooler then.

Holy shit, this boy danced his ass off. Trophies, huge competitions, scholarship money, the whole shebang. The only accomplishment Jason had ever laid claim to was his GPA. Nico had… talent. _Serious_ talent.

Jason’s face felt unnaturally warm and he realized that he’d started blushing, which was actually pretty lame of him. Here he was, blushing like an idiot at just _pictures_ of Nico. Gods only knew how he would talk to him tomorrow—he would be dropping off _and_ picking up Zoë this time.

Jason thought back to the previous day. He’d tried being himself and it failed, hadn’t it? Now Jason questioned whether he’d shown his true self at all. What did Nico actually know about Jason, other than the fact that Jason was an idiot with a Nico fixation.

Nothing, really.

No wonder Nico didn’t seem interested in even going out for coffee. Who wanted to spend time with a guy they knew nothing about?

The problem remained, however, that Nico didn’t even seem interested at all in getting to know who Jason really was as a person. It was maddening.

 _Somehow,_ he promised himself, _somehow I’ll convince Nico that I’m worth his time._

 

…

 

Jason had told himself that he wouldn’t stand around with the cluster of soccer moms and watch the entire sixty minute rehearsal.

He’d been a dirty liar.

The middle aged women didn’t quite know what to make of him, but Jason just ignored them. He found that there were better things to watch. Like gorgeous male dancers, for instance.

 _When he comes out,_ Jason reminded himself, _be yourself. Don’t just fall at his feet._

As it turned out, Nico didn’t dance for most of the lesson. He taught the moves, but then walked around to make sure all of the girls were getting them right. Still, even when he wasn’t dancing, Jason could feel that this was Nico’s element. He stood taller, he smiled, he didn’t have that “I hate my life look” that many of the moms around Jason wore. Jason could barely take his eyes off of him.

There were two Nico di Angelos, Jason realized. The indifferent, somewhat hostile, and awkward college student who hated attention, and the bold, graceful dancer who commanded it. While the latter certainly had caught Jason’s attention more, something about the passive aggressive Nico who tripped on flat surfaces drew him in as well.

Something about Nico was just so… interesting. When Jason laid eyes on the confident, dancer Nico, his physical attraction took over his entire body and he could barely focus. But with everyday Nico, Jason felt an emotional attraction. The kind that made him want to listen to Nico talk for hours on end. Jason longed to have real conversations with him, to discover what made him tick.

He also wanted Nico in his bed, he couldn’t deny that, but there was more to it. Jason hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and especially not about someone he hardly knew. But it felt right. And good. Definitely good.

Now if he could just not completely blow it…

 

…

 

_Of course. Fucking of course._

When Nico cleared the dance room, Jason was there again, hoisting Zoë off the ground and flipping her upside down. The six year old laughed wildly and started banging her fists on the blond’s chest.

Nico bit his lip. _Don’t damage that glorious body,_ he thought, unable to stop himself.

Jason, apparently feeling Nico’s stare, flashed the younger boy a bright grin before returning all of his attention to his niece.

Oh, so he just so _happened_ to be picking her up for the third time in a week? And he _wasn’t_ here to continue to harass Nico? Yeah, totally believable.

Whatever it was that Jason hoped to get from Nico, he sure was persistent about it. But still, Nico wasn’t going to give up his promise not to date in university just because some cheeky blond was a good uncle.

Nico had to put a stop to this. Once and for all. He swallowed hard and approached the pair, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. He would not trip in front of Jason again. No way.

Jason had turned his back some to help Zoëcollect her things, so Nico cleared his throat. Jason turned, looking pleased but also mildly surprised at Nico’s sudden arrival. “Nico, hey.”

“We need to talk,” Nico said.

Jason’s eyebrows rose. “You—I—we do?”

Nico motioned for Jason to follow him, and with a quick “I’ll be right back” to his niece, he followed Nico all the way down the hall, where Nico opened the door to the storage closet and ushered him inside.

When the light flipped on, Nico realized maybe this wasn’t the best place to chat. Jason was so close Nico could hear him breathing, and there were no witnesses around. He could jump Jason that instant and no one would be the wiser.

_Get a hold of yourself._

“Cozy,” Jason murmured, absolutely frozen in place.

Why had Nico brought him in here again?

“You know, I thought ‘we need to talk’ would involve a little more talking,” Jason mused, shifting nervously now from foot to foot.

Oh, right, talk.

“I need you to stop this. Whatever game you’re playing. I have to work. I can’t just have you popping up here all the time and distracting me,” he frowned at the taller male.

Surprisingly, Jason’s lips curled up in a smile. “I distract you?”

 _Backpedal. Backpedal._ Nico hoped like Hell he didn’t start blushing. “I mean, by always trying to talk to me and stuff. It’s a distraction.”

Jason’s smile didn’t falter though. “I’m not trying to play any game, you know. I just want to get to know you.”

No one ever just wanted to get to know Nico. Jason had to have some ulterior motive. The only time guys took interest in Nico, they were trying to sabotage him. Throw him off right before a major performance or something along those lines. But Jason didn’t even dance. “Just stop, okay? Leave me alone. I like to be on my own.” He stepped back for emphasis, forgetting the size of the closet they were in and accidently crashing into a unit of shelves.

“Careful,” Jason said, reaching out to steady Nico. His hands closed down on Nico’s shoulders and what felt like an electric jolt shot through Nico’s body. _Holy shit._

Nico touched people all the time. It never—not even once—felt like _that._

Jason might have felt it too, by the way his eyes widened.

“So uh, stop this flirting business, or whatever it is. It’s not appropriate and I’m not interested.”

He scurried out of the closet before the blond could utter a word.

 

…

 

“How do we know these people again?” Jason asked for the thousandth time as they pulled up outside the house. It was Friday night and Piper had decided the best way to get Jason back to his old and “more likable” self was to drag him to some party and have him flirt with the guys there.

“Oh, we don’t really know them. These two guys in my yoga class invited me.”

“And it’s their party?” Jason sighed, parking way at the end of the car-lined street.

“No, it’s their friends’ party. Percy Jackson and Luke something.”

“Those are the yoga guys?”

“No, those are the hosts. But hey, I happen to know that Will—he’s one of the yoga guys—is bisexual, and he’s pretty cute. His friend Eros is gay too, but he seems like a little much for you. He’s—feisty, to say the least.”

Jason nodded, barely registering her words. He didn’t care about Will and Eric or whatever their names were. Although, it would probably do him some good to get laid. Maybe then he would stop obsessing so hard over Nico.

Then again, he wondered if sex with some random stranger would make him forget the ridiculous energy he’d felt the instant he touched Nico. Jason had heard people talk about having a spark with someone, but he never considered that it could actually feel that way. He wanted to touch Nico again, to see if that same crazy attraction would pulse through his veins like the first time. He wanted to pull Nico closer, kiss his neck, his lips, his chest, his back, his—

“Do you plan on actually getting out of this car at some point?” Piper asked, flicking the side of Jason’s head.

He jolted back to attention, shaking away all thoughts of Nico for the time being. “Right, let’s go in, I guess.”

 

…

 

Nico hated parties. Normally he wouldn’t bother with them at all. His Friday nights were better spent at the studio, not in some crowded house full of enough alcohol to drown a whale. Tonight he didn’t have much of a choice though. It was at Percy and Luke’s house, and his two friends—okay it was really just Percy—had been pestering him about it all week.

“I want to see you, man,” he’d said over the phone. “I feel like you’re a ghost these days.”

Nico had known Percy for almost ten years and not once in those ten years had he been able to say no to him. Percy Jackson—who once upon a time had been the boy of Nico’s dreams. Perhaps the only good thing that Nico had ever got out of his relationship with Octavian was that it had successfully killed the Percy crush.

Still, that didn’t erase the platonic love that Nico felt for his idiotic and hopelessly heterosexual friend. So, if he asked Nico to appear at one party a semester, he supposed he could live with that.

“At least act like you’re having fun,” Will said, placing a beer in Nico’s hand. Nico crinkled his nose and sat the can down on a nearby table immediately.

“I hate beer,” he scowled. What he didn’t bring up was that the last time he’d gotten drunk around Will, he’d ended up sleeping with him. That was a mistake Nico did not intend to repeat again. As they’d both agreed the night it happened—after they’d sobered up, of course—they were simply much better off as friends.

“Luke says he doesn’t trust you with anything stronger,” Will informed, sipping his own beer.

“Yeah, well Luke’s an asshat. He also says that he can’t stand the French.”

Will smirked, “Speaking of which, you seen Eros anywhere? Or Luke… for that matter?”

“You could try checking the bedrooms but… I wouldn’t,” Nico retorted. For a second, he was almost having a good time.

“Oh, I think I see Piper! She actually delivered!”

“Who?” Nico asked, weighing the pros and cons of just drinking the damn beer.

“She teaches yoga at the gym”—yoga was one of Will’s favorite stress relievers, second only to sex, he was really big on stress relief—“and I invited her a few days ago. She said she’d bring her hot gay friend.” His eyes went off into the crowd again. “She didn’t lie about the hot part. Fuck.”

Nico, officially bored with the conversation, decided to scoot off before Will started his spiel once again of how Nico _needed_ to accompany him and Eros to yoga one day. “I’m going to go find Reyna,” he announced, deciding to take the can of beer with him. He may end up needing it.

 

…

 

Socializing was exhausting. Jason hadn’t even been talking to the surfer looking guy—Will, he reminded himself—for five minutes before he needed some air.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered, making his way toward the nearest door. It turned out to be the back door, but Jason didn’t care. As long as it wasn’t as crowded as the inside of that house.

The October night air was cooler than usual, which Jason appreciated. He’d started to feel sweaty in there, packed tight against so many moving bodies. There were some idiots by the fence cheering on their friend while he did a keg stand, but other than that, the yard was peaceful. Jason stood on a small porch with a few steps leading down to the grass—he used the term grass loosely.

It wasn’t until then that Jason realized there was another person in the yard he hadn’t noticed upon first glance. On the bottom step sat a boy, his back to Jason. He appeared to be watching the loud idiots with their keg.

“Taking a break?” Jason asked, leaning against the porch railing. The boy stiffened and turned immediately to the sound of Jason’s voice.

That’s when Jason’s jaw practically hit the porch. The messy dark hair, the pale skin, the dark, alluring eyes… “Nico?”

Nico di Angelo sat two feet in front of him, almost as if he’d sprung straight from Jason’s dreams and into the backyard.

“What the hell are you doing here? Are you officially stalking me now?” Nico accused, rage in his eyes.

“No, I swear. My friend dragged me here, actually. She says I need to get out more, or something.”

“Oh,” Nico said, his glare softening.

“I will admit, it’s a small world,” Jason could hardly believe his luck.

Nico, however, did not seem to feel the same way. “Or, you know, it could be the fact that we go to the same school and it’s possible that we have overlapping friends.”

“You’re really opposed to having even a little conversation with me, aren’t you? We’re not even at Olympic anymore.”

“It’s nothing personal… probably,” Nico smirked up at the blond for half a second before apparently thinking better of it.

 _Smirk at me again, holy shit yes._ “Can I sit?”

“If you really want to, I guess,” Nico shrugged, scooting as far to the right of the step as he could. It was then that Jason noticed Nico’s clothes. He’d only ever seen the boy in dancewear, but tonight Nico di Angelo donned a pair of ripped black jeans and a black and charcoal striped t-shirt. It was a good look on him. No, good was putting it mildly. Nico looked like sex _._

“So, why aren’t you inside having fun?” Jason prompted, trying to think more with his head and less with his dick.

“I was looking for my best friend, but I don’t know where she went. So I came out here. What about you?”

Nico was… responding to conversation? Fuck, he was even making eye contact. Fucking eye contact.

 _Play it cool, Grace._ “Hot.” He blurted.

A raised eyebrow from Nico made Jason realize what a stupid fucking response that had been. “It was really hot in there. And loud. And cramped. Not my favorite trio.”

_Good save, good save._

“Do you want this?” Nico asked suddenly, holding up a can of beer. “My friend gave it to me, but I haven’t had any of it. Not much of a beer person.”

Jason shook his head. “I have to drive. And I don’t drink much anyway.”

“Yeah… same. Hangovers and ballet do not mix well.”

“I thought you did jazz,” Jason said. Fuck, did Jason really no so little about dance?

Nico almost laughed. “I’m literally majoring in dance, Jason. I do everything.”

Jason couldn’t decide what sounded better, his name coming out of Nico’s mouth or the last three words. _Define ‘everything,’_ he wanted to say.

“That must be really cool. Majoring in dance.”

“Not if I can’t make a career out of it,” Nico shrugged, staring across the yard.

“You’re talking to someone who is trying getting a master’s degree in _classic studies._ My father still thinks I’m insane.”

Another smile found its way onto Nico’s lips. Jason felt like melting right into the ground. “The impractical majors porch, for impractical college students,” Nico proclaimed sarcastically.

“But you’re not impractical,” Jason argued. “You’re _really_ good. Phenomenal, even.”

Nico gave the blond a curious look. “You’ve seen me teach six and seven year old girls choreography, how does that qualify me as phenomenal?”

What was the non-creepy way to tell someone you internet searched them? “Uh, I—you—it’s just—well—” he exhaled deeply, “the internet.”

“So you _are_ officially stalking me,” Nico concluded.

“That—that’s irrelevant,” Jason blushed. “You’re a great dancer, is what I was saying. I’m surprised you’re not at like, some fancy conservatory or something.”

Nico decided to drop the issue of internet searching, at least for the time being. “My dad said the only way I could pursue dance after high school was if I went to a full four-year university. He’s never been so enthusiastic about dancing… but that really doesn’t matter.” Nico stood abruptly. “It looks like it might rain soon, I should go find Reyna. Maybe she’s ready to leave.” For the second day in a row, the dark haired boy left before Jason could get a word in.

 

…

 

“Hey, Nico! Where you been, buddy?” Will said, appearing from nowhere and clapping Nico on the shoulder. “Reyna was looking for you. She got one of her killer migraines and had to go home.”

Oh great. Fucking perfect. There went Nico’s escape-from-the-hot-blond-you-have-a-tendency-to-overshare-around plan.

“So how do I get home?” He asked, scanning the room with his eyes in case Jason decided to pop back up. Maybe Nico could handle a party for one night, but not with Jason Distraction Grace floating around.

Jason had taken the time to watch videos of Nico dancing. Nico couldn’t even remember the last time his father had come to one of his performances, and this guy he barely knew had spent who knew how long pouring through old YouTube videos. Nico wanted to punch the blond. He also wanted to rip his clothes off… but that was really beside the point.

“I could give you a ride,” Will offered. Nico rolled his eyes. The future doctor was already hopelessly drunk.

“Pass,” Nico scrunched his nose. “You’re wasted.”

“Pshh, I feel fine. I could perform surgery right now if I wanted to.”

“I wouldn’t even let you bandage my scraped elbow right now.”

“Maybe Percy and Luke will let you crash here,” Will shrugged. “You could share a bed with Percy.” He winked as if this were the most innovative idea since the wheel.

“I’m trying to _leave_ the party, idiot.”

“But it would be more fun if you stayed! Eros is busy with his not-boyfriend. You gonna leave me all alone?” Will pouted.

Nico saw Jason’s blond head across the room—it wasn’t hard, the guy was over six feet tall. Time was running out for Nico to make a getaway. Screw it, Nico could walk home. It was what—three miles? He’d walked longer distances than that. “Socialize. You are exceptional at making new friends. Now go forth, or whatever.” He shoved past his friend and headed for the door.

 

…

 

“He’s here, Piper!” Jason exclaimed upon relocating his friend. She was talking to some tall dark haired guy that Jason hadn’t seen before. He was attractive, gorgeous even, with the black hair and green eyes and white smile, but not really Jason’s type, just like Will hadn’t been his type.

To be fair, however, Jason’s type was currently short sassy dark haired dancers. 

“Who?” She yelled over the music. “By the way, this is Percy. He’s one of the hosts!”

“Sup,” Percy nodded. Jason nodded his way and turned back to Piper.

“Nico! The dance teacher!” Jason’s eyes circled the room, “Or well, he was here. He disappeared.” At that, Jason’s smile fell a little. They’d been having an _actual_ conversation before Nico had made his abrupt departure.

“That’s awesome!” Piper whooped, hugging her best friend. “Guessing you didn’t get in his pants yet?”

“Wait wait wait, you guys talking about Nico di Angelo? About yea high?” Percy held up his hand to about Nico’s height.

“Yes,” Jason answered immediately, stepping toward the party host. “Do you know where he went?”

“I think he left. I just saw him walking out, and he didn’t even say bye to me. Don’t know how he’s planning on getting home though, his ride is long gone.”

Jason didn’t like the sound of that. “I came inside just a few minutes ago because it started raining.”

Percy shrugged. Jason shot Piper a panicked look, “I should—”

“Go. I’ll have Drew pick me up. Bitch owes me one.”

Normally, Jason hated Piper’s half-sister, but tonight he could not be any happier about her existence. “Call you tomorrow!” He promised, already pushing through the mass of people.

 

…

 

Nico had been right about the rain. Fuck, had he ever been right. By the time he made it to the end of the street, he was soaked through his clothes. Wet denim was a real bitch. If Nico started chafing he’d be pissed.

How the hell had the rain come so quickly?

With his luck, his phone was already drowning in the pocket of his jeans. Nico groaned. Maybe he should have just stayed at the damn party. Making an ass of himself around Jason Grace was preferable to this, right?

A car horn beeped behind him, startling Nico from his thoughts. “I think it’s a little wet outside,” the driver called, rolling down his window.

“Jason,” Nico wasn’t even surprised at this point. “I too, noticed the rain. But good observation.”

“Don’t suppose you’d like a ride home in my warm, dry car?”

Hadn’t he decided not even a minute ago that spending time with Jason was better than getting rained on? Nico supposed he’d know for sure soon enough. “Don’t suppose you’ll keep your mouth shut the whole way if I say yes?” He smirked without meaning to. Fuck, that didn’t come across as flirty, did it?

“Probably not, but the invitation is still open. I promise I don’t bite.”

_A damn shame._

_Wait, no._

Nico swallowed his pride and ran around the vehicle to get in the passenger seat. “Thanks,” he mumbled. He gave Jason directions to his apartment building which, thankfully, wouldn’t be too long of a drive.

“What happened to your ride?” Jason inquired, turning left off of Percy’s street.

“Reyna, my best friend, she got sick and so she left.”

“My best friend’s a girl, too. Piper. She’s only a senior this year, though.”

Piper. What about that name sounded familiar all of a sudden?

“Yeah, so is Reyna.”

“What year are you, by the way?”

“I’m a sophomore, I’ll be twenty in January.” Jason hadn’t asked about when Nico was born. He just couldn’t stop over-sharing, could he? Whether Nico liked it or not, Jason was easy to talk to. At least, easy in a holy-shit-why-are-there-so-many-butterflies-in-my-stomach-I’m-not-supposed-to-like-anyone sort of way.

Jason opened his mouth to say something but Nico cut him off. “I know, I look younger than I am. A few weeks ago one of the moms at Olympic asked if I was graduating high school this year.”

The blond laughed. “That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say that I just turned twenty-two in July.”

Nico was glad that the darkness of the car could conceal his red face. “Oh.”

“But I could have believed you were younger than that.”

“If I was under eighteen would you have not stalked me?”

“I told you I’m not stalking you,” Jason reminded, an easy smile on his lips. He seemed more himself tonight. Laughing, smiling, not so awkward.

“Then how do you explain searching me on the internet?”

“Shh, I was looking you up, that is totally different.”

“Totally,” came Nico’s sarcastic response.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve talked twice tonight and you’ve yet to die from exposure. Maybe I’m not so bad after all…”

“Look, I’m not saying that you aren’t probably a perfectly nice guy. But you’re wasting your time. And my time, in fact. Absolutely nothing is going to happen between us.”

“You don’t feel any attraction at all?” Jason questioned, like he couldn’t believe it. Nico didn’t blame him for doubting, considering how full of shit he was.

It was because Nico felt so much attraction to him that he needed to steer clear of Jason as much as possible. However, if he told Jason that, the blond would likely just try to pursue him more. Nobody but Nico seemed to understand Nico’s logic—except for maybe Reyna.

“I—I barely know you.”

“That’s not an answer,” Jason replied softly.

“Dance is my priority.”

“That’s also not an answer.”

“I think you should forget about me.”

“It’s not a hard question to answer… I’ll do it right now. I like you, and I think you might like me too.”

The words made Nico freeze. Why did Jason have to do this? Why now, when Nico couldn’t even escape.

“Do you want me to tell you that you’re hot?” Nico snapped. “Fine. You’re really hot! But there’s more to life than looks, Jason. And you might think that you like me, but you don’t. You like the person you think I am and I can promise you it’s not me. And don’t think that because I’m your little infatuation of the week I’m going to reciprocate, I don’t care how attractive you are.”

Jason didn’t respond immediately. The smile had completely fled from his face, leaving behind a very thoughtful expression.

“We’re almost at your building,” he finally said.

Nico nodded, no longer looking at Jason. When the car stopped, Nico gripped the handle. “Thanks for the ride.”

“You know, I don’t normally… I haven’t… It’s been over a year… since I met someone who caught my attention. But then I saw you and met you and… I don’t know. If you don't feel that way too, then fine. But if you think that maybe you do… don’t brush that feeling aside.”

Nico stared at Jason, completely wordless, then stepped out of the vehicle.

 

…

 

The rain had stopped, the apartment was silent. If Nico had to guess, it was well after three in the morning, but he hadn’t checked his clock. He didn’t want to know.

Damn Jason. Damn him. Life had been a hell of a lot easier when nobody took notice of Nico. Nico the person. And he could pretend all day and all night that Jason Grace didn’t see that person—that he only saw Nico the dancer and Nico the teacher and Nico the living body—but it would only be that. Pretending.

Because tonight Nico hadn’t been anything other than himself, had maybe even been the least likable version of himself, and Jason didn’t waver. How anyone could be that interested in him was a mystery, and yet…

Jason was different. Different than anyone Nico had ever known. And maybe he’d only met the guy a week ago, and maybe they hadn’t spoken all that much, but Nico _knew._ Jason was different and that made him dangerous.

Damn him. Damn him. Damn him.

Nico rolled over in bed and tried to think of something else, anything other than the way Jason smiled and laughed and switched from laid-back to dead-serious in between seconds.

It didn’t work, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of a clusterfuck, I’m sorry. It’s one of the only chapters that I didn’t have a set plan for and I swear I wrote about three scenes only to hate them and delete them. I hope you liked the final result, though! Back to work on Murder Suspect stuff for me now. The second half of The First Time will be posted next and then that’s all finished and I can focus on just two stories. Also, anyone who is familiar with SonOfHades’ Children of Loss story may have recognized hints at a particular pairing, I would like to clarify that this was at his suggestion and I am not trying to steal the idea from him. (First mention of your precious Lukeros, hope you’re happy, you’ll actually see them later on)


	3. I Scream, You Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! Sorry this took so long. I had to write two chapters for my other stuff before I could come back to this AND I had AP exams. But now I'm just down to this story and The Murder Suspect and I have no more exams to take, so YAY! Hope this chapter is worth the waiting. You get to know a lot of the supporting characters in this one, which was really fun for me to write. Okay, okay, I will let you read now.

A thing to know about Nico—he did not appreciate being woken up early. Another thing to know—he appreciated it even less when it was before ten on a Sunday morning.

“What?” He grumbled into the phone, his eyes barely open. He hadn’t even checked who was calling, but he had a pretty good idea. This wasn’t the first time Nico had gotten this call on a Sunday morning.

“Happy Sunday! We’re meeting in a half hour for Friend Breakfast!” Percy informed Nico cheerily through the phone.

“S’early,” Nico muttered as he buried his face in his pillow.

Friend Breakfast was a tradition in Nico’s group, unfortunately. Every Sunday at ten o’clock, anyone who wasn’t too busy or too hungover met up at Ella’s Diner for breakfast. And for almost every one of those Sundays, Nico found some reason to not go.

It’s not that he didn’t love his friends or anything, he did. But Sundays were meant for either sleeping, studying, or dancing. Normally dancing. Reyna usually had to drag him out the door to get him to breakfast.

“Come on, Neeks. We miss seeing you around,” Percy pouted. “Plus, you left my party so early on Friday that I didn’t even get to hang out with you. Please come to Friend Breakfast! It’s not Friend Breakfast without all of our friends... And we’re already one short,” he said the last words in a melancholy tone that Nico couldn’t resist.

He sighed, sitting up in bed and bringing his legs to his chest. “Let me guess, if I don’t show up, you’ll come get me yourself.”

“Better, I’ll send Luke to get you.”

Nico scowled. Luke was merciless. “Fine, fine. Let me get some clothes on. I hate you.”

“Aw, don’t hate me, Neeks. We all just miss you, that’s all.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” He hung up. Stupid impossible to say no to Percy Jackson. Even when his goofy fucking smile wasn’t right there, Nico could see it in his mind. Of course, the whole Annabeth thing played into why Nico was so willing to do things that would make him happy. He just seemed so lonely without her around.

“Percy texted,” Reyna said, poking her head in the room. “He says you agreed to come to Friend Breakfast and I have to make sure you get your sleepy ass out of bed.”

Nico offered a half smile. “Oh, is that what he said?”

“More or less,” she shrugged, “He said to make sure you didn’t back out.”

Nico made a big show of kicking his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. “There, look.”

“Why, will you look at that. I don’t think I’ve seen you out of that bed since Friday night.”

“I got up… a few times,” Nico protested, crossing to his closet. Seeing as it was only October, a jacket probably wasn’t necessary, but Nico grabbed a hoodie anyway. He would rather be swallowed by his clothing than bare armed and in shorts—like Percy always seemed to be. He slid into an old, worn out pair of jeans as well. Not like Nico had anyone to impress. Ever.

The only time anything Nico did mattered, the only time he cared to be seen, was while he danced. Other than that, anonymity had become his preference. No amount of attention from Jason Grace could change that.

Reyna had disappeared at some point, and Nico found her sitting on the couch when he left his room. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s go.”

 

…

 

Nico couldn’t help but find his friends embarrassing. They sat at the same long table by the windows at Ella’s every Sunday morning and every Sunday morning they were loud as hell. The noise from their table easily matched all the other tables combined.

Almost everyone had arrived, save for Eros. Percy was turned to Luke, in the middle of what was probably a really exciting story in Percy’s mind. Luke didn’t seem all that interested, and had taken to tearing apart his napkin. Nico decided it would probably be wise not to bother the blond this morning.

On the other side of the table sat the group’s other blond, Will, unsurprisingly with a textbook on the table. He must have drifted back into Stressed-Out-College-Student-Will. He’d probably been awake for five hours already—assuming he’d gone to bed at all—with his eyes glued to that book the whole time. Nico wouldn’t be surprised if Will had driven with the book on his lap.

Hazel, Nico’s younger half-sister, and her boyfriend Frank sat beside Percy, living in their own little world. Their relationship was so ridiculously sweet that no one would ever know the two freshmen had only started dating at orientation over the summer. Nico felt he had failed in his brotherly duties by not giving Frank the “take care of my little sister or I’ll kick your ass” speech, but Frank was such a teddy bear that he’d never felt inclined to. In fact, he worried that if he tried, the poor boy would wet his pants. Hazel loved him though, and Nico had to admit he was a great guy. The kind of guy every big brother hoped their little sister would date.

Nico and Reyna took seats beside Will, who didn’t even appear to notice their arrival. “Hey, you’re here!” Percy exclaimed, a huge smile coming over his face. “Now we’re just waiting for Eros.”

“Your boyfriend oversleep, Luke?” Hazel teased lightly, reaching over Percy to poke the blond in the side.

“That annoying French bastard is not my boyfriend,” Luke sneered, crossing his arms. “We’ve fucked like twice.”

“In the last week?” Will asked, suddenly glancing up from his book. “Oh, hey Nico, hey Reyna.”

“Shut up, Solace. Get out of my fucking business.”

Will smiled to himself and flipped Luke off. The thing with Luke was, even if you were his friend, there was an eighty percent chance he didn’t like you. Annabeth had always been the one to force him to be pleasant to others, and now that she wasn’t in California anymore, he was a real ray of sunshine.

“Why are you studying so hard anyway?” Percy asked.

“It is how Will is after a weekend of drinking and partying,” Eros said, suddenly appearing at the table. “He even refused to go to yoga this afternoon.” He made to sit in the last available seat, until he realized it was directly across from Luke. He scowled at the blond and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Nico, darling, switch seats with me. I refuse to sit across from the likes of _him._ ”

Nico decided not to ask. Instead he stood and took the seat on the other side of Reyna, giving Eros the spot next to Will.

“Anyway,” Hazel said, “How was the party Friday? Frank and I are sorry we couldn’t make it.” Nico was sorry they couldn’t make it, too. Maybe then he wouldn’t have been thrown into that awkward situation with Jason. Still, he couldn’t blame them for going on a date night to celebrate their three month anniversary. Nico wished he had acceptable excuses.

“It was great!” Percy enthused. “Though there was a huge mess afterwards and _someone,_ ” he angled his head in Luke’s direction, “Was too drunk to help clean.”

“Don’t you mean too busy texting Kelli the perky sorority girl?” Eros sneered.

Now Luke was the one eye rolling. “For the last goddamn time I can text whoever I want.”

“Then I guess it doesn’t matter that I fucked around with Favonius last night.”

The mild annoyance then transformed to complete anger. “The slutty Italian student?”

“Whoa boys, save your love drama for later,” Reyna interrupted, holding her hands up. Eros hummed happily to himself and picked up a menu while Luke stewed in his chair.

Juniper, one of their usual waitresses, came over a minute later to get their orders. Then, save for the occasional bickering from Luke and Eros, breakfast carried on the same way Nico had always remembered it.

“I’ve been trying to save money to head over there for spring break,” Percy shared, sipping on his blue Powerade—don’t ask—“But flights to Europe are expensive.” He gave a small frown. The green-eyed boy was, of course, talking about his long-term (and now long-distance) girlfriend Annabeth. Annabeth was one of those disgustingly smart people, so smart, in fact, that only halfway through her time at Berkeley she had been invited to finish her finish her schooling at Oxford. Yes, _Oxford_ Oxford. She’d have been stupid to pass that opportunity up, and Percy knew that. Still, it wasn’t lost on Nico how his friend had been a little less smiley since she’d left two and a half months ago. Nico pitied the guy. He really did.

“She’ll still be here for Christmas, right?” Hazel prompted, giving the older boy beside her a warm smile. As Nico’s younger sister, Hazel had known Percy long enough that he too felt like a sibling to her.

“Yeah, but after that I won’t see her until the beginning of June. Do you think selling one of my kidneys would get me a flight there, at least?” Percy, unlike Nico, did not grow up with the luxury of having money. While Nico’s father was nearly always busy but excessively wealthy, Percy’s father was never in the picture and his mother and stepfather did the best they could to support their son. If not for Percy’s swim scholarship, Nico had no idea where his friend would be now.

“Annabeth will kill me if I let you sell any organs, sorry,” Luke said, flicking his friend’s shoulder.

“Fine, but I hate this long distance thing.”

“It’ll work out in the end,” Reyna shrugged. Nico agreed. If any couple had Hazel and Frank beat in the “Acting Like They’ve Been Together 50 Years” department, it was Percy and Annabeth.

“Yeah, I guess so. But wow, I’m bumming everyone out again, aren’t I? Let’s change the subject. Nico, what happened with that super hot dude who was looking for you Friday night?”

Nico spat his drink across the table. “What?”

Percy wiped soda off of his cheek. “Friday, at the party, I was talking to this one girl Piper and then this good looking blond guy came over and started talking about you. So I told him you’d left and then he left right after you. Who is he?”

“His name is Jason,” Nico grumbled, mentally cursing Percy out with every swear word he knew. Was it too much to ask to go a few hours without having to think about Jason Grace? For fuck’s sake.

Will’s textbook shut so fast it blew a napkin off of the table. “Wait wait wait, are you talking about Jason as in… Mr. Tall Blond and Hot as Fuck? That Jason? Friends with my yoga teacher Jason?”

“Sounds like him,” Nico replied, crossing his arms. He did not want to talk about Jason. He could think of a billion things he’d rather do and skinny dipping in a pool of leeches was one of them.

“You… you know him? He was looking for you? That hot piece of ass? Crazy respect for you. Get it, Neeks.”

“Yeah, I know him. Unfortunately. His niece is one of my students, and he’s been driving me crazy. I’ve told him I’m not interested but…”

“Dude, so you _aren’t_ going to tap that?” Will leaned over Reyna and Eros so far he nearly fell into their laps.

“No. You can have him.” That could be exactly what Nico needed. If Will slept with Jason, would the stalking stop? But, for some reason, the thought of Will and Jason together didn’t sit well with the dancer. And the fact that it didn’t sit well with him… didn’t sit well with him.

“Really? Do you have his number or something? Do you think he likes other blonds?”

“Down boy,” Reyna teased, lightly shoving him off of her.

“Careful Will,” Luke warned. “Bring him too close and Eros might invite him into his bed instead. If he likes bratty dancer boys…”

Eros bristled, which apparently pleased Luke.

“Hey, I’m not a brat,” Nico protested with a frown, crossing his arms. “Can everyone shut up about Jason?”

Nico couldn’t tell, but it looked like Reyna was smirking into her coffee.

His frown deepened.

 

…

 

It was never too late in the day for a bowl of Cheerios. That’s what Jason told himself Monday night as he sat on the couch with the cereal bowl on his lap. Tomorrow he would be picking Zoë up from dance class once again and, call him a coward, but he almost didn’t think he could go. Not after Friday night.

The persistent guy act clearly hadn’t had any affect on Nico—other than annoying him, of course. The dancer simply was not willing to entertain the possibility of dating Jason, attraction or not. But… there _was_ attraction. Nico hadn’t exactly denied it. Well, he had, but he also hadn’t. He at least felt something. The way he’d worded the rejection had made that clear to Jason. That was probably the worst part. Because despite that fact, Nico still denied Jason a chance. Worse, he’d accused Jason of  turning Nico into his “infatuation of the week.”

And realistically, he knew the best way to counter Nico’s words were to see him again—to show that he wasn’t going to give up—but doubt clawed at his insides. What if Nico rejected him all over again? What if he _yelled_? Or worse, refused to even leave the dance room? Was Jason just being a nuisance by continuing to try? Did Nico think he was desperate.

Fuck, maybe he _was_ desperate.

Before he could consider that further, someone knocked at his door. Piper, probably. She rarely called first. Jason sighed and rose from the couch, bringing his Cheerios with him to the door.

He opened the door to find, not Piper, but a short Latino boy with a wide grin and crazy curly hair. Leo Valdez, one of his other closest friends.

“Yo,” he greeted, nodding his head at Jason. “How’s it rolling?”

“Leo?” Jason certainly hadn’t been expecting this particular visitor. Leo lived in San Francisco, where he worked and attended university. “What has you all the way over here? It’s a Monday.” He didn’t need to ask, though. If it was during the school week, only one thing brought Leo to Berkeley.

“Rachel,” Leo supplied, confirming Jason’s suspicion. “We got dinner.”

“How is she?”

“She poured iced coffee on my head. And dumped me. Well, does it count as dumping if you weren’t exclusively dating?”

Jason stepped aside to let his friend into the apartment. “Let me guess, she found out about Calypso?” If Jason’s love life was pathetic, Leo’s was the exact opposite. For the past four months or so, he’d been casually seeing two different girls.

Love interest number one was Rachel Dare,—a fun, feisty ginger who liked to drag Leo to exotic restaurants and old movie screenings. She attended Berkeley and was a sophomore studying art who Leo had come to know through a mutual friendship with Piper.

Love interest number two attended the University of San Francisco with Leo and was a junior, same as he was. Calypso Nightshade had all of Leo’s favorite qualities—that is to say, she was “smoking hot.” On top of that, she knew machines. Her father owned the garage that Leo worked at. Calypso was plenty feisty too, and a had strong personality that made no one want to fuck with her.

Both girls were far, far out of Leo’s league and he acknowledged that, he’d accepted it, even. What he hadn’t accepted was that both of these girls seemed to want to date him anyway. Jason and Piper had both tried to tell him this, but well, Leo may as well have _invented_ the world denial.

“None of it is serious. I’m not exclusive with either of them. I’m dating other girls, they’re dating other guys. And I haven’t had sex with either of them so it’s not even a big deal,” Leo had said those words time and time again. Not even a big deal.

Clearly, it had been a bigger deal than he’d imagined.

“Yup, she found out about Calypso all right. I was ambushed. Calypso was at dinner, too, God knows how they met. Apparently, even though neither of them had said they wanted to date exclusively, they both just kind of assumed I was seeing them exclusively. And so they _both_ dumped me. Girls are weird, man.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Jason shrugged, eating another spoonful of Cheerios. “Still, I’m sorry to hear about your girlfriends.”

Leo sighed. “Yeah, serves me right I guess. Juggling two hot girls is a dangerous game. Luckily, Calypso isn’t going to make her dad fire me or anything. That would really suck.”

Leo should have been a university senior like Piper, but monetary issues had forced him to start university a year late. His mother worked as hard as she could to support them but, well, not everyone came from affluent Californian families like Piper and Jason.

Then, for some damn reason, Jason started thinking about Nico, and what his family might be like. Did he need that job at the dance studio to pay for school? Was that why Jason’s presence there was so unwelcomed?

“Earth to Jason?” Leo said, snapping his fingers in front of the blond’s face. “You totally just zoned up. What’s on your mind?”

Jason’s cheeks warmed. “Ah, nothing really. I guess all the relationship talk got me thinking about someone.”

Leo’s face transformed into a wicked grin so quickly Jason took a step back. “Someone, you say? Does Jason Grace have a guy in his life?”

“No!” Jason blurted. “Well, I mean, I don’t think so. Uh, not to say I don’t like someone. He’s just… it doesn’t look too bright for me. And—”

“Sooooooooo you have a crush on a guy.”

“I guess that’s what I’d call it, yeah,” Jason stared down into his cereal bowl. He was all out of Cheerios. Damn. Was there any cereal left in the box? He thought he might have had some Fruit Loops.

“And the problem is? Jason, you’re a hot dude. I mean, if I were gay—”

“Stop that sentence,” Jason interrupted. “The problem is that he’s rejected me multiple times and refuses to give me the chance to even be his friend. Besides that, he’s Zoë’s dance teacher.”

“Ah, a dancer boy. Cute.” Leo pondered that for a minute, “he and Zoë get along pretty well, you’d say?”

“Zoë gets along with everyone, you know that.”

“Okay, then use that. You’ve got an adorable niece on your side, that is power, my friend.”

“I’ll talk to Piper about it… No offense Leo, but you’re not exactly Captain Love Advice.”

“Ouch, for that one you definitely owe me alcohol.”

Jason smirked. “Fair enough.”

 

…

 

Somehow, Jason didn’t get around to calling Piper until he was on his way to pick up Zoë and take her to dance class. “So what, I am supposed to use my niece as Nico bait? Doesn’t that… I don’t know, sound a little pathetic or something?”

“Jason darling, I wouldn’t worry about being pathetic. You sit in on little girl dance classes to drool over the teacher. If you pine any harder you’re going to turn into a damn tree. I’m telling you this as a friend, of course.”

“Of course,” Jason retorted just as his phone started to vibrate in his hand. He withdrew the phone from his ear briefly to see who the new caller was. “Hey, that’s Thalia on the phone. Got to go.”

“Later, Jay. Good luck luring in your man. Love you.”

“You too.”

He switched the call to Thalia. “Hey, sis, I’ll be over there in like ten minutes.”

“Don’t bother,” she said. “I have to pay the studio for some costume stuff and run some errands, so I’m just going to drop her off and pick her up today.”

Jason tried not to sound obviously distraught as he replied, “Oh. Well, that’s okay. Tell Zo I’ll see her Thursday.”

“Oh, baby brother, don’t be so sad, you’ll get to see your boyfriend the day after tomorrow.”

Jason scowled as he turned the car around. “Shut up. He’s not my boyfriend. I wish.”

Thalia laughed.

 

…

 

Nico was past the point of wondering if Jason would be lingering in the waiting area after class at this point. So, as he walked the girls out of class, he braced himself to see the gorgeous blond once again.

 _Do not react to him. Do not acknowledge him._ Nico grit his teeth.

The stress turned out to be for nothing, though. No Jason on the waiting bench. No Jason with the mothers. Nico turned and glanced down the hallway to check if maybe he had just arrived, but no Jason there either.

Had… had he actually driven him away?

Nico looked back to the moms and this time he noticed another woman standing slightly off to the side with a choppy black haircut and a band t-shirt. Thalia Grace.

As if feeling his eyes on her, Thalia turned and smirked at Nico. He blushed darkly and looked away. Surely she knew about the Jason situation. That’s why she was smiling like that. He scratched his head and started up a conversation with one of his students, a nearly white-haired six year old named Kayla.

While he talked to her, though, he found himself watching Zoë and her mother from the corner of his eye. The dark-haired girl skipped up to her mom and hugged her denim-clad legs. The other moms stared at Thalia with contempt. She stuck out like a sore thumb among the snotty housewives. That was half of the reason that Nico liked her. Well, he _used to like_ her before her annoying hot brother came into the picture. Now he wasn’t sure if he trusted the woman anymore.

Still, her presence at the studio was a good sign. Maybe Nico had finally seen the last of Jason Grace. Which was what he had wanted. He _had_ wanted to get rid of Jason. Just like Nico had said, he was just Jason’s infatuation of the week. Once he saw Nico wasn’t going to put out, he’d given up. All guys did, eventually.

The victory didn’t taste as sweet as he thought it would, though. As he retreated back into the room to practice, an unsettling feeling rooted itself in his stomach.

 

…

 

On Thursday, Jason could barely wait to see Nico again. Almost a week had gone by and Jason found himself missing the perplexing dancer. Missing him more than he should miss someone he barely knew.

Zoë had a skip in her step as she hopped into his car that evening. “Uncle Jason, you didn’t pick me up from dance on Tuesday. Mom picked me up and she _never_ lets me get ice cream after,” she pouted.

“Don’t worry, Shorty,” he chuckled. “I promise we’ll get ice cream tonight.”

Her face lit up. “Yay! Yay yay yay!”

Jason smiled to himself. Operation use his niece’s cuteness to get a date was officially in action.

 

…

 

Nico should have known that getting rid of Jason Grace wouldn’t be so easy. After Thursday’s class he walked out of the dance room and right into the stupidly hot blond and his unfairly charming smile.

Nico had actually _crashed_ into him. He took a step back, completely mortified. “You again,” he sighed, rolling his eyes. The other girls walked around them without paying either boy much attention. _Save me,_ he silently begged them. _Get this guy away from me. Someone talk to me or something._

No luck.

“Thalia had errands to take care of on Tuesday so she drove Zoë,” Jason explained, as if Nico was supposed to care. Okay, well maybe he did care a little, but that was beside the point.

“Too bad she does not have any more errands to run,” Nico said, trying to step around the taller male.

“But Uncle Jason gets me ice cream,” Zoë chirped, appearing out of nowhere. “We’re going to get ice cream right now!”

“Well that sounds pretty cool,” Nico said, patting the girl’s head and smiling at her. Despite her annoying uncle and likely devious mother, Zoë was nothing shy of angelic. One of Nico’s favorite students in her class.

“Would you like to come?” Jason asked suddenly, a nervous grin tugging at his lips.

Nico froze.

“Oh my gosh!” Zoë jumped. That would be so awesome! That would be the best! Please come get ice cream with us, Mr. Nico! Please please please!”

Fuck. This was an ambush. Zoë’s hands were locked together and held up to her chest in a praying fashion. And if those damn blue puppy dog eyes weren’t the cutest thing in the world…

“I don’t know, Zoë. I still have some practicing to do and—”

“PLEAAAAAAAAASE?” She clung to his legs. “Uncle Jason will pay. Won’t you, Uncle Jason?”

“Of course I will, Zo.”

“Free ice cream, Mr. Nico! You can’t say no to FREE ice cream!” She looked ready to cry.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. _Well played, Grace. Well played._

“Okay, I guess I could get ice cream and then come back here to practice.”

He wasn’t sure who looked happier, Zoë or Jason.

When the six year old raced off to get her dance bag, Nico turned to glare at Jason. “Bastard,” he mumbled.

Jason had the decency to look a little guilty. For about two seconds, that is. He, of course, looked great. Dark jeans, gray t-shirt with long sleeves rolled up, hair that was messy in a way that looked intentional but probably wasn’t—Jason being Jason and all. The was gorgeous without even trying. Meanwhile Nico had on a pair of loose black dance pants and a sweaty shirt—he taught two classes in a row and had practiced beforehand. His hair was a mess in a way that was obviously unintentional and not at all appealing. Why was Jason trying so hard to get _Nico_ of all people? It didn’t fucking make sense. Once Jason realized Nico wouldn’t be an easy lay, what would he hang around for?

“Let me get my jacket,” he grumbled, disappearing back into the dance room. _Breathe, Nico,_ he urged himself while zipping up his hoodie. _Just ice cream, just this once._

Jason and Zoë were waiting for him when he returned, and Nico found that the other girls and their mothers had all filtered out by this point. Just the three of them. Great.

“Okay, let’s go,” Nico said, smiling at the six year old and not looking at her uncle. Zoë reached out for his hand and skipped out of the studio holding Nico’s hand with one hand and Jason’s with the other.

“Yay! Ice cream!” She sang. “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.”

Nico felt like screaming all right.

When they arrived at his car, Jason felt the need to open Nico’s door for him. It was pretty annoying. How cliché could this fucker be? Besides, this wasn’t even a date. Nico wouldn’t be surprised if Jason had plans to dump Zoë off at Thalia’s and then take Nico back to his apartment to fuck. Dammit, Nico shouldn’t have agreed to this.

Jason got into the driver’s seat and shot him the most charming and adorable fucking smile Nico had ever seen. Then he drove the short distance to the ice cream store, humming happily along to the radio the whole way. Every few seconds he would glance sideways at Nico and his smile grew every time. Zoë sat in the backseat, babbling about all the different toppings she could put on her ice cream.

And that was all. There was no ditching of the niece, no flirty jokes, Jason didn’t even bother Nico much on the drive. It made Nico question how much he really knew about the guy beside him. Could all of this work really just be a ploy to get Nico into Jason’s bed? Some big challenge for Jason to prove he could get anyone he wanted? If so, he was determined as hell. If not…

Then that would mean he had been genuine about the stuff he’d said last Friday night.

Which was infinitely more problematic than him just being hot and horny.

 

…

 

Now that Jason had Nico more or less where he wanted him, he had no idea what to say. Typical. This was why Jason hadn’t dated in over a year. Anytime he was really attracted to someone, he had no idea what to say. And for the love of gods, Nico looked so damn good. The whole I’ve-Just-Been-Dancing-For-Hours look made Jason a lot more hot and bothered than he’d care to admit.

When they pulled up to the ice cream shop and got out of the car, Jason finally realized that he was wasting his golden opportunity and spoke up. “So, what are you practicing for? You mentioned having to practice for something.”

“I’m dancing at a recital for one of my performance classes next month,” Nico shrugged. “Some people from different dance companies in San Francisco will be there, so it’s a good way to get noticed by them.”

“Oh, wow. That’s cool.” _That’s cool._ What a lame response. Idiot.

“Uncle Jason, why do you never have like, Latin Recitals? That would be so awesome!” Zoë turned to Nico and tugged on his arm. “Did you know that Uncle Jason speaks Latin? And Greek. He’s studying classicalisms.”

“Classics,” Jason chuckled. “Not quite as exciting as dance but… it’s what interests me.” He opened the door to the ice cream shop and let Nico and Zoë walk in before following.

“What exactly do you do with a master’s degree in classical studies?” Nico asked, inclining an eyebrow at the blond.

Jason felt his face heat up under Nico’s stare. “Uhhh, teach classics? I guess?”

Nico laughed, “You’ve got it all figured out I see.” Jason laughed with him. God, he loved the sound of Nico’s laugh.

“Ice cream ice cream ice creeeam,” Zoë sang. She bounced ahead of the two boys happily.

“Does she ever run out of energy?” Nico whispered.

“Around nine o’clock or so she just crashes,” he informed the dancer quietly. Nico was so close, less than an arm’s length away from Jason, and he wanted to move even closer.

“I can only imagine what will happen once the ice cream gets in her system,” Nico smirked, his eyes meeting Jason’s. The eye contact made his entire body feel suddenly warmer. The dark haired boy seemed to have momentarily forgotten that he was supposed to hate Jason, and Jason was not at all complaining. He would have held the eye contact all night, but then Nico quickly averted his eyes. If Jason didn’t know any better, he would say the younger male might actually have been blushing. Because of Jason.

“What flavor do you get?” Nico asked quickly, walking towards the counter.

“I like to change it up. Keep things interesting. You?” Jason came up beside him. It felt good to be close to him. God, that was such a high school feeling, but it was true.

“Coffee flavored. Every time. I don’t lead an interesting life.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that,” Jason smirked.

“Further proof that you don’t know all that much about me,” Nico retorted.

“Uncle Jason! Mr. Nico! ORDER YOUR ICE CREAM ALREADY! I WANT MY ICE CREAM!”

Zoë ended up with so many toppings in her ice cream cup that Jason could not actually see the ice cream beneath it. Nico got his coffee ice cream. Jason asked for salted caramel.

“Wow, calm down Jason, you live a little too dangerously with your salted caramel,” Nico muttered sarcastically as the girl working handed Jason his ice cream.

“Clearly, you have never enjoyed delicious salted caramel ice cream before.”

The ice cream girl kept looking between Jason and Nico and smiling. “You two are so cute together. Are you dating?” She asked as Jason paid.

“No!” Nico blurted, his face flaring red. He took his ice cream and hurried outside to sit at one of the tables there.

“Oh my God. This is so embarrassing,” the girl said, putting a hand to her face. “I’m so sorry!”

Jason gave her a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry about it.” He was especially cheery as he joined Nico and Zoë at the table. Someone thought they looked cute together. Score.

Nico did not seem to share the enthusiasm. He grumpily poked his ice cream with his spoon and refused to look at Jason.

“Uncle Jason, tell me more of that Greek story from last time. About the guy who was in love with himself!”

While most little girls loved hearing fairytales about princesses locked in towers and magic beanstalks, Zoë took great joy in the old Greek and Roman myths Jason shared with her. Recently he’d been telling her the story of Narcissus, which Thalia just smirked at.

“Teaching her early that men are jerks, are you?” She teased him the last time he’d dropped Zoë off.

Really, Jason just enjoyed passing on the wild stories to his niece, even though he had to avoid a lot of the more gruesome ones. She was only six, after all. But right now he didn’t much feel like talking about Narcissus and sweet Echo. Jason wanted to find a way to strike up a conversation that Nico could take part in while he had the chance. Who knew if he could repeat a day like this.

The dancer perked up though, much to Jason’s surprise. “Are you talking about Narcissus and Echo?”

“Yeah,” Jason answered. “You’re familiar with that one?”

“I… am familiar with a lot of Greek myths,” Nico admitted. “I was really into mythology when I was younger.”

That only made Jason like him more. “Me too, which I guess is pretty obvious.”

Nico smiled at that. “My stepmother’s name is actually Persephone. She’s fourteen years younger than my father so everyone calls him Hades now.”

“Like the god of the Underworld?” Zoë piped in “But… he’s scary!”

Nico laughed. “Aw, my dad isn’t so scary, though. Hades isn’t always a bad guy either, unless you’re watching the Disney Hercules movie.”

Jason could kiss him right there, in front of the ice cream shop with anyone and everyone watching, his niece included. “There’s actually a story, Zo, about Hades and Persephone in mythology. Do you remember me mentioning Persephone to you? Goddess of springtime?”

“Oh yeah! I like her! But she has to live in the underworld!”

“Well, luckily my dad didn’t kidnap my stepmom,” Nico chuckled.

“I also told her about Midas and his golden touch. She loves that one.”

“My friend Annabeth is really interested in myths. She’s practically a genius. She’s at Oxford now.”

Jason nodded appreciatively. “High school friend or college?”

“College, she grew up in San Francisco. I’m from LA.”

Jason almost laughed at that. He’d figured someone so pale would have been from out of state.

“I lived in the Bay Area around here until I was fifteen, then my family moved to New York for a while. Parents moved back once Thalia and I were both here.”

“Grandpa says I eat too much ice cream!” Zoë pouted. “But grandma lets me eat it when he isn’t around.”

Zoë referred to Juno, Jason’s stepmother and the only grandmother she had really ever known. Her real grandmother, Beryl Grace, had lost her life to alcoholism when Jason himself was just a toddler. He couldn’t say he missed her.

“My half-sister is a freshman at Berkeley this year, she’s the only family I really spend time with, but I’ve known my roommate for five years. She’s practically family.”

“None of my friends from New York ended up at Berkeley, and if anyone from my old school in Palo Alto is here, I honestly wouldn’t remember them. When I first started here, I’m afraid Thalia was my only friend. You’re lucky.”

“Well my friends drive me half crazy sometimes, so maybe you’re the lucky one. Percy, my other high school friend, likes to bring up all the lame things I did when I was a kid. It’s mortifying.”

“Oh, he was the guy who had the party,” Jason recalled.

Zoë, apparently wanting to get back into the conversation, placed both hands on the table and leaned toward the dance teacher. “Did you dance when you were six, Mr. Nico?”

“Yes, I started when I was just a little bit younger than you.”

The girl’s entire face lit up. “Do you think when I’m your age, I could be as good as you?”

“You could be even better than me, if you practice a lot.”

That was all it took to send the six year old straight to heaven. “Really?!?” She squealed, standing up so suddenly she knocked over her ice cream. “Nooo! MY ICE CREAM!”

Nico and Jason both laughed, and this time when their eyes met, Nico didn’t lower his gaze right away.

Jason’s ice cream was sweet, that much was true, but the progress he was making with Nico tasted even sweeter.

 

…

 

When Jason finally dropped Nico back off at the studio, Nico was shocked by the realization that they’d been gone almost ninety minutes. It hadn’t even felt like an hour.

Worse, Nico found himself not wanting the evening to be over. Part of him didn’t want to practice, but to just sit and talk with Jason for a while longer. Maybe it was Zoë’s presence, or maybe they were just getting more comfortable around each other, but Jason had been different tonight. More himself, if Nico had to guess. Unfortunately, more himself meant even more unintentionally charming, smart, and perfect than usual. He cared about school, he was good with kids, he was supportive, his laugh was infectious.

Essentially, the only thing not to like about Jason was the fact that there were too many things to like about him. Jason hadn’t even insinuated anything about trying to get in Nico’s pants. Could he really have been serious about wanting to get to know him? How could Nico resist Jason with nights like tonight?

Fuck, scratch that earlier statement. He hadn’t arrived back at the studio soon _enough._

“Let me walk you to the door,” Jason offered, sending a charming grin Nico’s way as he put the car in park.

Nico shrugged and stepped out of the vehicle. He’d spent over an hour with Jason today, another minute wouldn’t hurt. Besides, maybe if they got away from Zoë, Jason would drop the nice uncle act and give Nico some reason not to like him.

They walked to the front of the studio in relative silence.

“So…” Jason finally said as they came to a stop.

“Thanks for the ice cream,” Nico told him. “I’ll admit you’re not as awful as I made you out to be.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Jason chuckled, his eyes steady on Nico’s. “I had a lot of fun, and I know Zoë did, too. I’d say she thinks you’re pretty awesome.”

“She’s a good kid,” Nico agreed, wanting to and also not wanting to look away.

“But,” Jason added, “What if maybe next time, just the two of us went out?”

Nico’s heartbeat quickened. “On a date, you mean?”

“It wouldn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be. We could just like, talk about mythology and eat pizza or something. I mean, if you eat pizza. Maybe dancers don’t eat pizza I don’t know though I guess you do eat ice cream, if you eat ice cream you probably eat pizza but I mean, maybe if you’re allergic to gluten or—”

“If I say maybe will you stop babbling?” Nico replied without thinking. _Maybe?_ Had he just said maybe? He would never actually consider going out with the guy, would he?

“Yes, I’ll stop. Sorry. I think I talk too much when I’m nervous.”

“I’ve noticed,” Nico breathed, feeling plenty nervous himself. Whether they were good nerves or bad nerves, that was the real question.

“So… it’s a hesitant maybe date, then?” Jason looked so hopeful, Nico couldn’t find it in himself to tear that hope down.

“Maybe,” he emphasized.

“I can live with that,” the blond beamed. “See you Tuesday.” Jason started to make his way back down the sidewalk.

“See you then,” Nico replied, and for once he found himself looking forward to seeing Jason Grace again.

He would never admit to that, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking up for Jason! Well, at least a little. While he tries to figure out how to lure in his man, I'm going to write the next chapter of Murder Suspect :)
> 
> Friendly reminder that even if it takes me a long time to update sometimes I will NOT abandon this story. You can count on me to keep writing until it's done!


	4. Restraint? What Restraint?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, SonOfHades. Read your heart out.

Nico wasn’t hiding from Jason _per se,_ he was… Okay. He was hiding. Big time.

After Tuesday’s lesson, when Jason tried to pull Nico aside to chat, the dancer had immediately said he had missed an important phone call from his mother and disappeared into the bathroom, where he’d been for the last twelve minutes. Even though he figured Jason had probably given up and left the studio by now, Nico didn’t want to risk leaving his not-so-subtle hiding place prematurely. The ten seconds he’d spent near Jason right before making his escape had been more than enough to fuel his crush fire a while longer. Dammit, why was he such a sucker for blond guys? And why was this blond undoubtedly the hottest of them all? And why did this sickeningly hot blond have any interest at all in Nico?

Nico examined himself in the mirror. He’d been called cute by his sisters all the time, but that hardly meant anything. Puppies were cute, babies were cute, Nico was nineteen years old. Annabeth had frequently commented on his “delicate features” which likely meant he looked like a girl. Will and Eros seemed to think he was funny, which was almost certainly a lie to make the dancer feel like he had more redeeming qualities. Octavian used to tell him he was—

No, whatever Octavian said didn’t matter, and was _unquestionably_ one of the many pieces of bullshit that had fallen easily off of his tongue. Compliment or otherwise.

There was still the alternative explanation, that Jason was desperate for sex and Nico was his easiest option. Of course, Nico didn’t think he’d made things easy for Jason. It had been over two weeks now and Nico had not given in. Well, there was the incident on Thursday, where he’d stupidly agreed to consider hanging out with Jason sans Zoë, but Nico had no intention of _actually_ going through with it, so that one didn’t count. He hoped.

Still, Jason kept pushing the “we can just be friends” agenda, which was counterproductive if he wanted to get Nico in his bed. Unless Jason was the type who said friends and actually meant friends with benefits. Then again, there were still easier, hotter lays to be had. They lived in fucking California for Christ’s sake, not some small hick town in the Texas! Surely, _surely_ he could find another gay guy to bang. Did Jason seriously not know any other gay guys? Why did he want Nico?

What was it that made Jason so different? What made Nico want him _back_? Want him so bad that every time he looked at the blond he felt on the verge of caving in, of dragging him back into that storage closet and relieving him of every piece of clothing on his ridiculously hot body. Of tasting his lips, his undoubtedly muscled abdomen, and lower still. Tasting everything. Everywhere. And Jason… Jason’s hands on _his_ body. Jason taking off his clothes. Jason rutting desperately against Nico until finally, _finally_ —

Nico turned on the sink and splashed some water on his face. _Get a grip, di Angelo._

Getting a grip was easier said than done, however. Nico was accelerating down the slipperiest of slopes, and try as he might, his hands couldn’t find purchase on anything to slow him down. So Nico slid. He slid and slid and slid into a place he’d spent months—no, years—trying to climb out of. His willpower trailed behind him.

 

…

 

Jason knew that pouting was a pretty immature thing to do, but that didn’t stop him from scowling as he and Zoë left the dance studio. He’d thought that maybe… after last Thursday…

Nico turned out to be even more stubborn than Jason had ever given him credit for. He was a master of rejection, unwavering in his resolve. Nico had erected walls around himself, gods only knew how long ago, and he’d built them high. And strong.

But not impenetrable. The ice cream date had indicated that there was some hope for Jason, that he actually had a chance—if only a small one—of getting through to Nico. Of getting what he longed for so deeply.

The problem was that Nico just kept reinforcing the wall.

Maybe Jason should have taken the hint. Maybe he should have backed off, respected Nico’s boundaries, and let him go. That was the polite thing to do.

The cowardly thing to do.

Because Nico wanted him _back_ , and Jason knew it. Knew it deep in his bones. He saw it in the way Nico watched him when he didn’t realize Jason was paying attention. Yet he kept Jason back out of fear. Jason didn’t know what Nico was afraid of, but he wanted to find out. He had to help Nico overcome that fear, to show Nico that he had no reason to fear Jason.

He wanted Nico to trust him, though he didn’t understand why he wanted that so badly. He just did. And until Nico looked at Jason without an ounce of sheltered desire, without an inkling of hidden feelings, Jason would keep trying to break through that wall.

No one deserved to live their life in fear. Especially not a beautiful, smart, determined, witty, talented guy like Nico.

“Uncle Jason, why are you upset?” Zoë asked as Jason opened the door to let her into the car.

“Don’t worry about it, Shorty,” Jason replied, patting her head. He circled around the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat.

“Uncle Jason,” the six year old said again, “Do you have a crush on Mr. Nico?”

“Yeah,” he admitted with a sigh, “I guess you could say I do.”

 

…

 

On Thursday, Jason received the coldest of cold shoulders from Nico. The dancer did not even look his direction, shutting himself away in the dance room before the blond could even approach him.

That was the problem with these regular Tuesday-Thursday interactions. Nico saw Jason coming and he had time to prepare ways to avoid him. Escape routes. He had time to strengthen his walls and come up with whatever words he needed to keep Jason away.

Before leaving the studio that evening, Jason decided to have a chat with Mellie, the cute young receptionist he’d met the first Thursday he’d come to pick Zoë up. At some point during the lesson, Jason had settled on a new plan to get alone time with Nico.

It took the entire drive home and half of the night to convince himself that he wasn’t being a total stalker.

 

…

 

Fridays were often Nico’s favorite days. He had no classes to attend, a fun hip hop dance class for eight to ten year old girls to teach in the late afternoon, and a whole weekend ahead of him to relax or practice as he pleased.

Plus, he didn’t have to worry about seeing Jason on Fridays. Well, other than at Percy’s party a few weeks ago, but that had been a fluke.

Olympic Dance Studio finished its last class by five-thirty on Fridays, leaving Nico as much time as he needed to practice whatever he needed to. Last year, in the weeks leading up to the state competition, Nico would sometimes remain at the studio until after three in the morning. Though, after the extreme tongue lashing from Reyna after the competition was over, he’d promised her to never stay that late again. In fact, on Fridays she usually forced him to be home “at a reasonable enough time to eat some goddamn dinner.”

Sometimes Nico wondered why he’d moved away from one big sister just to find himself with another. If it was anyone other than Reyna, Nico would probably put up a lot more of a fight about all of her mother hen crap, but well… it _was_ Reyna, and in their friendship she had never, ever done him wrong.

That was why, by seven o’clock, Nico was locking the front door of the studio.  

He smiled to himself, thinking about how proud Reyna would be. Then he turned around and the smile fell right from his face.

Because Jason Grace was getting out of his car.

Nico frantically reached for the key to the studio that he had just slid into his pocket, and in his haste the key slipped from his hand and fell to the sidewalk.

“Motherfuck—”

“Uh, are you really going to lock yourself in the dance studio?” Jason asked, scratching his head nervously.

Nico blushed, embarrassed to be caught trying to run and hide like a child. Then again, he wouldn’t have to run if the annoying hot-ass guy in front of him would just—

The dancer fought the urge to growl in frustration. Was nothing sacred anymore? Even his Fridays had to be soiled by this… this…

Nico couldn’t even insult him properly.

“This coming from the person who has been waiting outside said dance studio for how long?” Nico retorted, daring to make eye contact with the blond just to show how irritated he was. That lasted for all of two seconds before Nico had to look away however, because _hell,_ Jason had like, the most intense stare ever. The kind of stare that made Nico want to invite Jason into the studio with him, clothing optional.

“Mellie said you don’t stay too late on Fridays,” _Damn Mellie, that traitor,_ “So I got here right after the end of your class… um…” Nico wasn’t the only one blushing. “I know you’ve been avoiding me but… I figured I could maybe actually talk to you for a minute if you didn’t have time to get away.” He slapped his forehead. “Shit, that sounded way less creepy in my head. Goddamn.”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that far of a stretch to see why Jason wasn’t pursuing other gay guys. How awkward would he be if he was trying to talk to someone who was actually hot?

It was kind of cute, actually. How flustered Jason seemed.

 _No! Stop it!_ He chided himself. _It’s probably an act or something._

“You waited in your car for an hour and a half… to talk to me for a minute?” Nico barely believed the words as he said them.

“Well, today, at least. I also waited through two hours of dance classes during the week.” He shifted his weight between his feet. “But I kind of lied about just talking to you for a minute. I’m actually here to ask if I could take you out to dinner.”

“Now?” Nico exclaimed, raising his eyebrows.

“Before you say no,” Jason jumped in quickly, “This doesn’t have to be like a date or anything. Just friends—or at least potential friends—talking and eating dinner. Normal stuff. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it.”

Nico wanted to reject him anyway, mostly because of how unfairly gorgeous Jason looked in his navy blue button-up shirt and jeans. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up, allowing Jason to look casual and dressed up simultaneously. Also, it should have been illegal for Jason to wear blue. Illegal. If Nico went out with Jason, even as friends, he still knew how incredibly inadequate he would look beside him. Nico, in his sweatpants and tight, sweaty t-shirt concealed under an even more unflattering hoodie. Nico, with his gross, sweat-dampened hair sticking to his forehead. He probably smelled, too.

No way in hell would he get dinner with Jason looking like he did.

 _Or, uh, looking any way at all. I wouldn’t go out with Jason even if I looked my best,_ Nico reminded himself, though he wasn’t sure he believed it.

“No, I look gross. I mean, I taught the hip hop class, and then I practiced, and you’re all…” _sexy as hell_ … “well dressed.”

The same guy who stumbled over his own words and said the wrong thing more often than not shouldn’t have been able to make Nico so weak. No way.

“What if I drove you home and let you shower and change clothes? You could take as much time as you need.”

“N—” Nico was ready to turn him down again when Jason flashed one of those irresistible smiles that was just so fucking… Jason.

_Cute fucking persistent accommodating attractive stalker asshole motherfucker._

“Fine,” he practically spat, “But I will definitely be taking you up on the showering and changing.” Jason looked at Nico with genuine surprise, like he couldn’t believe his plan had actually worked. Nico couldn’t believe it either. What the hell was he thinking?

“This isn’t a date though,” he added. “And by the end of dinner if I still don’t want anything to do with you, you _better_ not stake out outside the studio again. Understood?”

“Yes!” Jason answered quickly, the hugest smile on his face. “Understood. Loud and clear. Yes.”

This could only end poorly.

 

…

 

Jason could not believe his incredible luck. He’d done it. He’d _actually_ done it. He’d gotten Nico to agree to spend time with him without the help of an adorable six year old girl. Sure, it wasn’t exactly a date, and Nico wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about it, but _still._

He hadn’t been sure that he would even get a word in before Nico tried to run, but actually seeing Nico fumble for his keys had given Jason the confidence he needed to say what he needed to say. Well, for a few seconds, at least. Without any nieces around to serve as welcomed distractions, Jason had fallen right back into his habit of stumbling over his words around Nico. The dancer was just so… so…

Jason stole a glance at the dark haired guy sitting in the front seat of his car.

_Gods help me._

Literally, he needed divine intervention if he was going to spend a whole meal alone with Nico without completely ruining his chances. He already probably had Nico thinking Jason was a complete stalker, he didn’t want to imagine how he could screw up further.

Just… play it cool, he could do that, right? He knew that Nico was attracted to him, at least physically, but if he wanted to actually bring this guy out of his shell, he would need more than that. Nico needed to _want_ to lower his defenses, and that wouldn’t happen with Jason tripping over sentences like a smitten idiot.

“So you teach hip hop too? I’m impressed.”

“Normally I just teach girls seven and under, but none of the other teachers really wanted to do the Friday hip hop class. They have social lives or something.” Nico shrugged.

“Sorority girls?” Fuck, had he just implied that all the other dance teachers must be girls? He didn’t want Nico thinking he looked down on his passion!

Luckily, Nico didn’t seem offended. “Actually, the girl who teaches most of the eight to ten year old classes is still in high school. And then the older girls are taught by women in their late twenties.”

Jason turned left toward Nico’s apartment.

“Oh, well do you like it? The hip hop class, I mean.”

“I like the class, but I prefer the girls in the six to seven age group.”

“Really? I kind of thought you’d rather teach older and more advanced students.” Even though Jason was certainly glad that Nico taught Zoë’s class, and he could tell that Nico got along with the girls, he’d often wondered why the studio didn’t have Nico teaching the more experienced dancers.

“Six and seven year olds have less attitude. But even the eight through tens have nothing on the mini divas in eleven through thirteen. Little bitches,” Nico blushed, “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t be saying that about kids, should I?”

But Jason just smiled. Nico was so invested in his dance, his job, his students. It made the dancer more talkative than usual, and Jason liked that. Liked hearing Nico talk without being so reserved.

“Nah, it’s fine. Middle school kids are the worst. I would probably get irritated too, unless Zoë was one of them, then I’d let her slide.”

“Zoë is a pretty good kid… very passionate about her ice cream.”

“She’s good at getting what she wants,” Jason chuckled.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Nico grumbled, probably thinking about how that “pretty good kid” had convinced him to go get ice cream with her and Jason last week.

Almost as if to confirm this suspicion, the dark haired boy grudgingly added, “Apparently she takes after her uncle in that respect.” No more words were exchanged for the remainder of the short drive,

Jason pulled into the parking lot of Nico’s building. “How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Uh,” Nico scratched his head, “Like thirty minutes maximum,” he eyed Jason briefly, “Don’t expect me to put on a dress shirt.”

“Wear whatever you want, I’ll just wait down here,” Jason said, leaning over and opening Nico’s door for him. Still gentlemanly, but not date-like, right? Okay, the fact that it let Jason get closer to Nico also played in to his reasoning.

“Okay, um, see you in a little while,” Nico mumbled, quickly unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting the vehicle.

Now, Jason had about thirty minutes to get his shit together.

His hands shook with both nervousness and excitement.

The evening had only just begun.

 

…

 

Nico knew he should have said no. As he rode the elevator up to his third floor apartment, the nineteen year old glared at himself in the mirrored wall.

“Idiot,” he mumbled at his reflection. In the past, it had taken Jason countless tries to get even a single pleasant word from Nico, now here Nico was, having small conversations with the guy. Pretty soon it would be longer conversations, then what? Nico’s whole life story? Would he be telling Jason about his sex life by the time their entrees arrived? That’d go well.

And fine, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for them to get to know each other. Jason had told Nico they could just be friends, nothing to worry about. Right?

Only, it wasn’t quite that simple. Nico didn’t want to date Jason, but he also couldn’t imagine being just friends. How could he be “just friends” with that irresistible smile?

Nico wanted to have more with Jason, and he couldn’t. He wanted to kiss him, and he couldn’t. Not with his past. Not with his present. Hell, not with his future. Romance had been cut out of Nico’s life picture a long time ago, and there was no room to glue it back in.

Which meant that Nico must just be a masochist. A stupid, stupid lover of his own torture. He’d pay dearly for it later, that much was certain.

Reyna and her sister were in the kitchen when Nico entered the apartment. “Hey, you’re home just in time, we’re making fried pork. Are you hungry?” His roommate inquired, glancing at Nico over her shoulder.

“Of course he’s hungry,” Hylla interrupted. “Practicing all the time surely works up an appetite, eh Nico?” If Reyna had a tendency to act like Nico’s older sister, her older sister Hylla was like his mother. Whenever she came over to the apartment she was always nagging at Nico to eat more, socialize more, enjoy his youth more, blah blah blah. He let it slide, though. Hylla always meant well, and it was kind of nice to know people cared about his wellbeing, even if Nico was content with his current lifestyle.

Well, his current lifestyle minus Jason.

“I actually can’t stay to eat, I have, um, plans,” Nico announced as he crossed through the kitchen and living room area toward his bedroom.

“Plans?” Nico could tell by the tone of Reyna’s voice that her eyebrows were practically at her hairline. “What kind of plans?”

The dancer sighed and came to a stop at the bar counter. “I sort of have a not-date date with my not-stalker stalker,” he explained grudgingly.

“What’s this?” Hylla took a step in Nico’s direction, “I’m so out of the loop these days.”

“This guy Jason has been hitting on Nico when he goes to pick up his niece from dance class, apparently.”

Hylla appeared to be biting down a smile. “Oh, really? Carry on, then, we’ll leave you some pork in the fridge.”

“Keep your phone handy, Reyna. I may need you to come save me.”

“Me and my fists will be waiting, I promise,” she winked. Then, before Nico could get in another word, Hylla started yelling about checking on the pork and both girls turned their backs to him.

Nico showered quickly, not because he was eager to get back to Jason, but because the idea of him just _sitting_ in his car waiting for Nico was rather mortifying. How much time today had Jason already spent waiting around for Nico?

When it came to picking out clothes, Nico was determined not to dress like this was a date. Jason could wear what he wanted—Nico would do the same. Still, he found himself in jeans over sweatpants, which meant some part of him didn’t want to look like a _total_ slob next to Jason. The jeans were nice, nicer than most of the ones Nico owned. However, that just meant that there weren’t any holes or obvious frays in the denim. Not fancy. Not a date. He paired them with a completely unspectacular black t-shirt to reinforce just how casual this not-date was.

His hair, however, could not have looked nice if Nico fussed over it for hours. A blessing and a curse, Nico supposed. He wasn’t nearly as presentable as Jason, but that had been his intention. If he’d tried to replicate Jason’s flawless appearance, he would have felt more idiotic than he already did. So, both content and not content with his appearance, Nico left his room. 

“Have fun!” Reyna called.

“I won’t,” Nico grumbled. As he shut the apartment door behind him, he could swear he heard the sisters giggling.

 

…

 

When Jason spotted Nico exiting the building, he hopped out of his car to open the passenger door for him.

“You know, that is really unnecessary,” Nico informed him. “I can open doors all by myself.”

An embarrassed smile settled over Jason’s face. He knew that the door opening thing was more what a boyfriend would do, and actually probably too old fashioned for any guy to realistically do anymore, but he couldn’t help it. After his catastrophic first meeting with Nico, Jason felt like he had to show Nico he was capable of being more than a blundering fool.

“Sorry, I’ll stop.” Maybe Nico didn’t want a nice guy? Fuck, then Jason would be screwed. He didn’t think bad boy behavior was in his blood. Piper once called him Captain Vanilla.

No, no. He was overreacting. From the way Nico talked about dating, Jason got the feeling bad boys were not at all up his alley.

Jason was probably better off just being himself.

He released a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. For the rest of the night, Jason would be the epitome of collected. He would treat this like it were any other dinner with any other friend, and not his only chance to win over the guy he was big time fucking crushing on and—

“Where are we eating, by the way? Did you have a place in mind?” Nico gave the blond an expectant look.

“Yeah, actually. We talked about mythology last week and I was wondering what your opinion was on Greek food?”

 

…

 

Nico tapped his fingers on the table, searching for something to say. The drive to the restaurant had been mostly just Jason talking, and Nico felt like he ought to at least _try_ to take part in the conversation. He didn’t want to come across as some moody brat. After all, it wasn’t Jason’s fault that Nico’s life was what it was. Nico had resented the blond from the day that they met for his unpredictable charm and obvious good looks and persistence, but Jason hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Maybe it was time Nico stopped treating him like the villain.

For one night, at least. One more night and then he could kindly ask Jason to move on. And Jason would listen this time, hopefully… If he believed that Nico had actually given him a shot and still wasn’t feeling it, would Jason back off?

“So you tell your niece old myths instead of fairytales and you like eating at Greek restaurants? Have you ever considered that you might be the most cliché classics major in the history of classics majors?”

“There is a compliment in there somewhere, I know it.”

“If you like clichés, maybe,” Nico smirked back.

“Who doesn’t love a good cliché now and again? Cars driving off into the sunset, dramatic kisses in the rain, roses of Valentine’s Day, the love-struck guy with a boombox blaring under some teenage girl’s window—”

“Or the guy who sits and watches some little girls’ dance lessons to get with the teacher,” Nico added, surprised with himself for being so blunt about the situation.

“Are we still listing clichés we love?” Jason questioned with a half smile tugging at his lips.

“I never said that I had any strong feelings about clichés, actually. Those things you listed, that’s just movie crap. All it does is fuel the fires of hopeless romantics everywhere.”

“Then I guess I’m a foolish optimist,” Jason shrugged.

“I could have told you that weeks ago. Only a foolish optimist would still be trying to do… whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish here.” Okay, maybe he still needed to work on the not-treating-Jason-like-the-villain thing. At this rate, Jason might stop liking Nico just for the utter horribleness of his personality.

“Friendship would be good, but I’d settle for you not hiding in the bathrooms to avoid talking to me.” The blond’s words made Nico stare down at his menu in shame.

“Oh, I see.” He decided to change the subject. “What are you going to order?”

“I usually get the lamb. They have octopus that is pretty popular here but… it kind of grosses me out.”

Nico nearly laughed. “I don’t blame you.”

The waitress arrived to take their drink orders shortly after that, allowing Nico a minute to gather his thoughts. He truly sucked at making conversation, a curse that had followed him all through his school years.

“So,” Jason began once the waitress left, “You started dancing when you were really young. What sparked that interest?”

Nico may not have been a fan of talking about his past, but his childhood years—at least the earlier ones—were simple enough to share.

“My older sister’s favorite movie was Barbie and the Nutcracker,” Nico admitted after a moment’s hesitation. “She watched it practically every day. At first I thought the movie was dumb and girly, but then I started to pay more attention to the dancing and… yeah.” He knew this story was lame, even as he told it, but it wasn’t like he was trying to impress Jason or anything, right?

“You got roped in?” Jason prompted, leaning forward with a curious light in his eyes.

“That and other movies with dancing, yeah.” He shifted in his seat a little, not quite comfortable with all of Jason’s attention on him. The smile, the focus in his eyes, he was actually… interested.

Nico. Interesting. What a concept.

“So my mom finally convinced my dad to let me take ballet. I started in Kindergarten. I don’t think my dad was too surprised when I came out as gay in ninth grade.”

“Ninth grade? I applaud you. My parents were in the dark until senior year.”

“Are they not accepting or something?” Nico couldn’t imagine any parents being disappointed to have a son like Jason.

“Oh no, that’s not really it. It’s not that I was against telling them, I just didn’t see it as relevant information. My dad always works and my stepmother does all kinds of volunteer work so we never really spent a lot of family time. I mean, Thalia got pregnant her freshman year of college and my dad didn’t even acknowledge that until he was literally holding Zoë in his arms. I just figured they would find out I was gay when I got married.”

“Did you almost get married senior year?” Nico’s eyebrows raised in question.

Jason snorted. “Gods no. I kind of miscalculated when my stepmother would be home one day when I had this guy I was dating over… _huge_ and embarrassing accident on my part.”

Nico blushed at the possibilities of what she could have seen. He didn’t think he wanted to know for sure.

“Did I just over-share?” Jason asked, a pinkish tinge coloring his cheeks as well.

“Ah, maybe a little. Don’t worry about it.”

The waitress returned with their drinks and took Jason and Nico’s orders before disappearing again.

“So, from age five onward you knew you wanted to be a dancer? There was never anything else?”

“Never anything that I loved more, no. Dance has kind of been the only constant in my life. I know my dad wishes it were otherwise.”

“Do you and your dad get along?”

“Wow, that’s an incredibly personal question,” Nico noted. “Do you and _your_ dad get along?”

“Huh,” he huffed, “Sometimes. Like I said, he works a lot. He owns a private helicopter company. There was a lot of pressure on me to eventually take over for him. You know, run the family business or whatever. The only time I remember having a conversation with him senior year that lasted over five minutes was when I told him I was going to major in classics.”

“I assume he was pretty pissed?”

“Not really, he just lectured me about being lazy and wasting his money studying old useless crap. Actually, he called up my cousin Helios the next day and offered him a job at the company. Things more or less worked out.”

“My dad means well… he just can’t seem to decide how to handle me,” Nico admitted, vowing it would be all he would say on the subject.

Jason, taking the hint, simply nodded. “I feel that.”

“Was it always classics that interested you?”

Jason shook his head. “When I was a kid, I wanted to fly.”

“Like a pilot, you mean?” Nico inquired.

“No, I actually had it in my mind that I had the ability to fly buried deep inside of me. Thalia had to stop me from trying to jump off the roof when I was nine. I nearly gave her a heart attack.”

The dancer snorted. “That’s… unique.”

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you didn’t want to fly.”

Nico shrugged. “It’s just not me.”

“Invisibility? Mind reading? Super speed?”

Nico shrugged again. “I don’t know. I guess I would have liked… the power to stand up for myself.”

“Why do you say that?” Jason asked, and Nico could tell the blond was uncomfortable with the idea of people giving Nico a hard time. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that the small, skinny, gay male dancer hadn’t been wildly popular in his younger years. Or well, ever.

“Another incredibly personal question.”

Jason gave a single nod. “I see. Sorry if I’m being intrusive.”

Nico gave a noncommittal gesture, “Don’t worry about it. I just like to keep my past in the past when possible. It’s nothing against you.”

“Well, what about the present? Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Jason suggested, leaning forward once again.

“I’m really not that interesting,” Nico admitted.

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

Nico paused, mulling over Jason’s words. “Well… I like animated movies more than live action ones.”

“Really?” Jason inquired. “That’s cute, actually. And I don’t mean that in a condescending way or anything. I think animated movies are great.”

“You do?”

“I go with Zoë and Thals to see them a lot. You’re never too old to be young, you know,” Jason informed him with the most charming of smiles.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Nico just hoped there was such a thing as being too old to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Namely in the romance department.

Update: Things didn’t look hopeful.

 

…

 

The waitress had picked up Jason and Nico’s empty dinner plates nearly thirty minutes ago and yet, neither of them had suggested leaving. Jason had figured that Nico would try to get the sorta-date over with as soon as possible, considering how much he claimed to not want to be Jason’s—well, anything really. Had the younger boy somehow missed the fact that they were both done eating?

Not like Jason was complaining. No. Not at all. Not one bit. No sir.

“And that is why I vowed to never again bring a guy for Thai food on a first date again,” Jason said, finishing out the story he had been animatedly retelling for the past few minutes.

Nico laughed. The laughs had started coming easier and more frequently as the meal progressed, much to Jason’s delight.

“So now what? You bring dates out for organic Greek instead?” Nico questioned, an easy smile on his face.

“I thought we weren’t on a date,” Jason retorted, though he could admit his more than friendly feelings for Nico vehemently disagreed.

“Oh you can cut the crap now, Jason. You dressed up, brought me to a restaurant, and then paid for my food. This is just your not-at-all-subtle attempt of trying to convince me to go out with you. Well, go out with you again.”

The look on Nico’s face wasn’t doing Jason any favors in the _figure out whether or not Nico is irritated with me currently_ department. “What’s my probability of success?” He asked, seeing no other choice. Bluntness seemed to be his specialty.  

“I kind of thought tonight would have made you realize that you don’t actually like me. I’m not exactly… a catch,” Nico said, which didn’t answer Jason’s question, but he didn’t bother pointing that out.

Jason took a sip from his long empty cup—the waitress had stopped caring about refills after the bill had been paid. “I’ll admit that you aren’t the guy I thought you were when I first saw you, but I’m kind of glad for that. Nico-the-guy-who-dances-like-it’s-easier-than-breathing intimidates the crap out of me.”

“Is that why you acted even weirder than usual the day we met?” Nico teased.

“That’s part of it for sure. I mean, you moved so gracefully and confidently and you were so focused and in control and… wow, this is really embarrassing to talk about.” Regular Nico wasn’t nearly as intimidating, but Jason felt nearly as nervous around him.

“But like you said, I’m not really like that. Not in my day to day life. I’m not graceful or confident or in control of anything. So why are you still here?”

While Jason grasped for words to form a response, the waitress reappeared at the table. “Hey guys, not trying to be rude, but the restaurant actually closed almost ten minutes ago and since you’ve already finished eating…”

Jason looked up at the clearly irritated girl. “Oh, right. Sorry, we’ll be going.”

By the time they reached his car, Jason had finally managed to locate his voice. “You know, I don’t usually notice people, especially not in a romantic way… But the day we met, it was like impossible for me not to notice you. And then the more you tried to shrug me off, the more interested I was in getting to know you. You haven’t made that very easy for me, but that makes every new thing I learn about you feel even more special. I like talking to you, and seeing you. I’m not even really sure what it is about you, to be honest.” He paused to allow Nico to say something—anything—but the boy in the passenger seat just stared at him blankly.

More words began to spill from Jason’s mouth. “Last fall I kind of just threw most of my social life away and became a college student hermit. I didn’t date or hang out with friends, I practically started living in my sweatpants, I went four months without wearing contacts, basically I was a dirty loser,” he chuckled awkwardly. If Jason had any dignity, he would have probably stopped there, but his damn mouth just kept talking. “I haven’t been with anyone… sexually in thirteen months. I haven’t been attracted to someone—really attracted to them, not just physically—in almost a year and a half. The fact that you stood out to me, that you interested me, I found that pretty remarkable. So yeah, if you want to know why I have been so persistent, I guess that is your answer.”

Jason wanted to punch himself in the face. He was twenty-two years old for fuck’s sake and here he was, acting and talking like some love-struck teenager. Meanwhile Nico sat beside him completely frozen, staring at Jason with that peculiar look that Jason really needed to learn the meaning of. Gods, he would have given anything for the opportunity to peek inside of Nico’s head right then.

But Nico didn’t offer up any verbal insight to the mysteries of his mind.

Instead, in a flash of movement, the dark haired dancer leaned over the console and pressed his lips to Jason’s. 

 

…

 

Tonight would go down in the books as a complete and utter failure on Nico’s part. He’d meant to sever any connection to Jason, not feed the flames. Now here he was, sitting in Jason’s car with no waitress around for a fortunate distraction, with no one else at all, kissing him.

Actually kissing him. And God, it felt good.

Well, for about five seconds.

He pushed away in a panic, ready to slap himself for being so incredibly stupid. Sure, Jason’s words about how Nico was the only guy he’d liked in a year and a half had made Nico swoon a little, but enough to fuck up _this_ much?

_Wow, di Angelo. You suck._

Jason’s eyes were wide with surprise. Nico couldn’t blame him.

“Um…” Nico had no idea what to say. _Oops, I accidentally threw myself at you. Could you just forget that happened?_ But Nico didn’t want Jason to forget it happened. He didn’t want either of them forget. He wanted to do it again. To bring his and Jason’s lips together another time. To taste him. He swallowed hard.

“Does that mean you like me back?” Jason asked, biting down on a smile. He probably didn’t mean for it to look so sexy. Or who knows, maybe he did.

“Oh, fuck it,”Nico muttered, too weak to fight back the attraction any longer. He grabbed Jason by the shirt collar and kissed him again. This time, however, Jason was ready for it. The second their lips collided, the blond wound his fingers into Nico’s hair and kissed back in a way that would have literally knocked Nico off his feet if they’d been standing.

No amount of secretly fantasizing about kissing Jason could compare to the real thing. Jason clearly knew what he was doing, but there was a certain abandon in the way he explored Nico’s mouth that hinted at the time it had been since he’d last kissed someone. He kept his hold on Nico’s hair while deepening the kiss, tasting Nico’s mouth with his own. Nico released a mortifyingly breathy sigh and moved his hands from Jason’s collar to his shoulders, digging his fingers in without meaning to. He wanted this. Wanted Jason. He wanted him so desperately that he couldn’t think. Nico remembered this feeling, even though years of pain had tried to erase it from his memory.

Passion.

Jason broke this kiss, but the blond did not wander too far from Nico’s lips. He inhaled shakily and smiled at the dancer. Nico smiled back—smiled like an idiot probably. Without saying anything, Jason drew Nico back in and began kissing him once again.

Nico should have known Jason would be a good kisser. An amazing kisser, even. Apparently Jason was just fantastic at everything. Well, his conversational skills perhaps needed work, but Nico was hardly one to judge there.

Jason’s hands released Nico’s hair and travelled down his sides to his hips. Nico jolted at the touch, wanting suddenly to be a lot closer to Jason than he was. Unfortunately, the console between the seats was not on the same page as Nico.

Jason, however, was. He lifted Nico from the passenger seat and guided him over the console, setting him down on his lap. “Better,” he mumbled against Nico’s lips. Nico nodded enthusiastically and pressed his chest firmly against the blond’s. The steering wheel that dug into Nico’s back went relatively unnoticed. It was like Nico was sixteen years old again, intense desire drowning out all other things around him.

Fingers crept under Nico’s shirt and brushed his hips with a tenderness that contradicted the fire in their kisses. Nico jerked again, practically electrocuted by Jason’s touch, only this time instead of hitting the console his hips rolled against Jason’s.

“Fuck,” Jason groaned, thrusting up against Nico to create more friction. Already Jason had Nico’s dick stirring in his pants. “Fuck fuck fuck.”

Maybe Nico shouldn’t have gone so long without doing this stuff, or at least jerked off more. Perhaps then he wouldn’t be dry humping some irritating crush he barely knew in a restaurant parking lot.

Jason started to move his kisses lower, dragging his tongue across the long-forgotten sensitive skin of Nico’s neck. The responding sound that left Nico’s mouth would have been completely mortifying if Nico didn’t have more important things capturing his attention. Like Jason’s erection, straining against his jeans.

“I want you,” Jason moaned against Nico’s skin. Nico shivered.

“Yes,” Nico panted in agreement, “Want you too. Need it.” Jason’s lips returned to Nico’s for a searing kiss.

“Your place or mine?” He asked, drawing Nico in impossibly closer and making it feel like not a single part of his body wasn’t touching Jason’s.

“Yours, my roommate will be home,” Nico said, thinking entirely with his dick at this point. That couldn’t be so bad for one night, right? Just one night of weakness?

 

…

 

Jason drove home like an absolute madman—which could only partially be blamed on his ridiculous level of horniness.

The remainder of his reckless behavior could be attributed to the fact that Jason was half convinced that if he drove too slow, Nico would decide that everything they’d just done had been some huge mistake and get out of the car. And there was _no_ way Jason would let the guy currently in his front seat go any time soon. His lips still tingled with the sensation of Nico’s kisses. His passionate, warm, eager kisses.

His passionate, warm, eager kisses that momentarily returned when Jason stopped at a red light. Okay, maybe it was slightly longer than a moment and maybe the car behind Jason had to honk his horn. Twice. On any other night, Jason would have felt guilty for not paying attention. His dick, however, did not care.

Nico had been on his _lap._ Just a few minutes ago, the dancer that had occupied Jason’s every dream and daydream for weeks had been enthusiastically grinding against Jason’s dick. The very same Nico who had hidden in the bathroom on Tuesday to avoid talking to Jason.

 _This is fucking unreal,_ Jason mused as he pulled into his parking lot.

He parked quickly—barely between the lines of his spot—and threw his door open hard enough that it nearly collided with the car beside him. “Whoops,” he chuckled.

Jason rushed to the other side of the car to open Nico’s door—he knew he’d said he wouldn’t but he couldn’t help himself—but the impatient dancer had already let himself out. “Screw being a gentleman,” he grumbled, dragging Jason down to his lips. The only reason the older male did not immediately push Nico against the car and begin rutting against him again was the realization that he had an actual apartment upstairs.

However, by the time the two got into the elevator it was all Jason could do to keep his hands out of Nico’s pants. Nico wasn’t exactly helping, either, as his fingers had crept up under Jason’s shirt the moment the elevator doors closed. The blond had to force his hands to stay above Nico’s waist. He’d come too far to commit blasphemy in an elevator.

Against the inside of his apartment door, however, seemed acceptable enough. He pressed Nico’s body against the old door and kissed his lips and neck and everything else within kissing distance while Nico’s hands continued exploring. Jason’s own body quivered under the fire of Nico’s touch. Suddenly, he felt a tugging against his skin and heard the sound of gentle ripping. He glanced down to find Nico struggling with the buttons of the blond’s shirt.

“Get this fucking thing off,” he growled, “Now.” Jason quickly complied, all the while thrusting against Nico’s hips. He had started to doubt his ability to make it to a bed anytime soon.

“Yours too,” Jason insisted, pulling Nico’s shirt up and over his head. Nico barely noticed, apparently too preoccupied admiring Jason’s newly exposed skin.

“Gods,” he muttered, grazing his fingers across Jason’s abdomen. “Are you even fucking real?”

Jason ignored Nico’s comment, mostly because it embarrassed him. While he did spend a lot of the time at the gym, it was more out of boredom than a desire to look a certain way. Nico acknowledging it was essentially just acknowledging that wow, Jason was _way_ overdo for getting laid.

Instead of dwelling on it though, Jason took the time to admire Nico’s smooth, pale skin. He looked so beautiful, strong from years of dancing but still lean and lithe. In this state, it wasn’t hard to imagine awkward and closed off Nico as the completely in-control and confident dancer Jason had first laid eyes on. And the initial, uncontrollable sexual attraction Jason had felt for the dancer came rushing back full force. He had to get to the bedroom before he seriously tried to fuck this guy on the floor.

Without stopping their latest kiss, Jason began to walk backwards, blindly leading Nico in the direction of his room. The crashing sound a minute later may or may not have been because the table Jason collided with had a lamp on it, but he didn’t actually stop to check.

When he finally reached the threshold of his room, Jason took a moment to thank his past self for leaving the door open and one lamp on, because he was fairly certain that fumbling for the door handle and light switch would have been pretty damn excruciating.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jason asked, taking Nico by the hand and leading him to the bed.

Nico’s response came in the form of another eager kiss and the mumble of one single word.

“Positive.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter didn't QUITE turn out how I wanted it but after a month of writing I finally had to settle and accept that this was as good as I could realistically make it. I hope you guys liked it. The dinner scene was written about four different ways and I will have you know I wrote about 2,000 words that ended up getting deleted or saved for a later chapter. As for the lack of actual smut in this chapter, worry not. You will get that in the next chapter, this one was just already really long so I pushed it back. 
> 
> But before I can worry about chapter 5, I have more Murder Suspect to write!


	5. About Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update update, read all about it! (Lol what the fuck is wrong with me)

_Saturday, 11:00am_

Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano _had_ been sitting on the couch enjoying a book and her morning coffee before her roommate Nico walked—or should she say limped?—through the door with a frustrated huff and an impressive scowl on his face. The young woman raised an eyebrow at him as she set her coffee down.

“You’re home… late,” she commented. By the way Nico was moving, Reyna had a pretty good idea of what kept Nico out on his date for nearly sixteen hours, but judging by Nico’s expression, he was in a foul mood about it. “I can’t tell if it went well or not. You look mad.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nico grumbled, dragging himself into the kitchen. “Please tell me there is more coffee.”

The Puerto Rican sighed and shook her head. _Oh Nico,_ she thought. _What mess did you get yourself into this time?_

…

_Twelve Hours Earlier_

If God and the devil really existed, Nico could not tell which one sent Jason Grace into his life. Jason’s kisses were heavenly but his hands—in particular the hand he had wrapped around Nico’s dick—were definitely sinful.

The lamp on the nightstand filled the room with a dim glow for which Nico was both thankful for and resentful of. Seeing Jason completely naked? Happy fucking early birthday to Nico. Being naked himself…

Nico knew that he was in shape, but his lean yet muscled form could not compare to Jason’s tan, muscled figure. Dancers were strong, but not built like Jason was. Honestly, Nico wouldn’t be surprised if the classics major had stolen the body of one of the ancient Greek gods he studied. So yeah, Nico felt like a shrimp. The huge ass dick that was currently pressed against his leg didn’t help to boost Nico’s confidence much, either.

Fuck, maybe Nico shouldn’t have gone along with this. Jason put Nico’s previous partners to shame in the size department, and considering how long it had been since Nico had last gotten laid, it would probably feel like losing his virginity all over again.

_Great…_

Still, that hesitation did not seem to have any affect on Nico’s dick, which had started leaking precome at some point.

Nico wanted Jason and he couldn’t deny it. He couldn’t even be patient anymore, as he stretched out his hand in the direction of the blond’s nightstand. “Lube” he panted against Jason’s lips, “Where is it?”

“Bottom drawer,” Jason supplied, moving to kiss his way across Nico’s chest. Nico rolled over and stretched to open the indicated drawer, then squealed in surprise at the press of lips on his backside.

“You have such a nice ass,” the blond panted, beginning to knead it with his hands. Oh gods, Nico was way too turned on to be receiving compliments like that. He practically shivered. “Fuck. Find the lube yet?”

“Working on it,” Nico replied, his voice embarrassingly breathy, “I got a little distracted.”

Jason’s responding chuckle sounded far too sexy. His shy side may have had an intriguing charm to it, but it was this more daring side that really got Nico going. No wonder Nico was ready to break his “no-sex” rule with this guy.

Nico finally managed to grasp the bottle he’d been looking for and rolled so his back was once again on the mattress. “Success,” he declared. Jason grinned and returned his mouth to Nico’s for a deep kiss.

While they kissed, Nico struggled to squirt some of the lubricant into his palm. Jason immediately pulled away at the sound and scrunched his nose. “What are you doing?”

“Did you think you were just going to fuck me right off the bat?” Nico scoffed. He may have been horny and desperate, but he was not _that_ horny and desperate.

“No, but I wanted to be the one to, uh, prepare you.”

This time Nico really did shiver.

“Oh.” The revelation surprised him. Not since his first time had a guy actually volunteered to prepare Nico. Octavian would always make Nico do it himself, something about ‘How am I supposed to know when you’re loose enough’ or whatever. With Will, they both had been so intoxicated he couldn’t even remember being stretched at all. “I guess that’s fine.” He wiped the substance onto Jason’s hand instead.

Fingers, it turned out, were a lot more enjoyable when they were not his own. During Nico’s previous sexual encounters, preparing himself had been a necessity, but with Jason, Nico felt as if it were the appetizer for some mind-blowing sex.

“Holy shit,” he gasped as two of Jason’s fingers grazed his prostate. “Right there. _Right there._ Shit.”

Jason smirked with satisfaction. Another finger joined in and Nico actually wondered if he would cum just from this. Unable to bear the thought of being the boy who came too soon, he started to swat Jason’s hand away. “I’m ready. Condom?”

Nico couldn’t deny the way his heart thudded with excitement. He wanted this—wanted Jason—so badly it honestly embarrassed him. And here Nico had thought he was _handling_ the Jason situation. Jason throwing a handful of condoms onto the bed and rolling one onto his dick didn’t exactly suggest that the situation had been handled.

“You just tossed like four condoms onto the bed,” Nico informed him with wide eyes.

“Hmm, did I?” Jason asked, reaching for the lube again.

Suddenly, Nico couldn’t think of any way he could have handled the Jason situation better. A confident and wildly turned on Jason just seemed an opportunity too good to pass up.

_You say now, when he’s already naked above you,_ a voice in the back of Nico’s mind nagged.

_Shut up, I want him to fuck me._

“How do you want to do this?”

“How do you want me?” Nico countered, aware that his honest question had probably come out sounding way more sexual than intended. Jason’s responding groan confirmed it. Then he pushed Nico’s legs up so his knees were practically on his shoulders.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just fuck me.” Maybe the confidence had rubbed off on Nico a little, too.

Another moan fell from the blond’s lips. “Are you—God I almost hate myself for asking this but are you _sure_ you want to do this?”

Why was Jason trying to make Nico rethink this? Didn’t Jason want sex, too? Besides, Nico didn’t need to think about it any longer. He’d decided all the way back in the car how this night would end.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure.” He pulled Jason’s body closer, making sure everything lined up how it needed to. “I want it.”

“Well, in that case…” Jason stole a kiss from Nico’s lips as he slowly began to thrust in.

Nico swallowed the responding hiss that followed. Shit, Nico had definitely been right about the pain. 

Even with only the smallest push inward, Nico knew he would be sore the next day. _Of course_ the one guy Nico actually wanted to have sex with would have a dick big enough to guarantee problems. At least it was the weekend. Nico had no classes.

Jason pushed in further and Nico audibly cursed. “Fuck, you’re so big. It’s not even— _ahhhhh_ fair. What the fuck, Jason?”

“Do you need a minute?” The blue eyed boy asked, his voice sounding a little rougher than usual. A hungry look lived in those eyes, suggesting that he desperately wanted to keep going. Yet, he still offered to wait. Nico’s stomach performed a weird little flip.

“No, it’s fine, keep going.” Jason’s look of relief was nearly comical. He continued to thrust in, distracting Nico with kisses the entire time.

It wasn’t quick, or easy, or particularly fun, but while Jason worked to sheathe his entire dick in Nico, the dancer found himself smirking.

Having sex with a considerate yet eager and obviously gorgeous well-endowed guy?

Yeah, Nico supposed there were worse ways to spend his Friday night.

 

…

 

A little math equation for thought.

Jason Grace – A Recent Sex Life + Nico di Angelo – Clothing + A Literal Perfect Ass = Jason had to focus all of his attention on not cumming in the first five minutes.

Nico didn’t offer much help with that problem. “Oh, fuck, _Jason,_ ” he moaned in some variation with every direct hit to his prostate—which might have been nearly every single thrust because Jason knew that if Nico didn’t blow quickly, he would never be able to make it.

How long had they been going at it, Jason wondered. Seconds? Minutes? An hour? The one thing he was sure of was that he needed it to last longer.

Why the hell had Jason thought it was a good idea to go over a year without sex? And why had he never tried it with a dancer before tonight? Even in a fairly simple position, Jason could tell that Nico was incredibly flexible, and that made him want to try about one hundred different things.

However, for the time being, trying not to come prematurely like a virgin teenager was more than exciting enough.  

A moan directly in his ear made Jason increase his pace without even meaning to. Nico made Jason feel desperate. Desperate to go faster, desperate to go harder, desperate to make the feeling last, and most of all desperate to make Nico feel as good as Jason did.

“You’re so tight, fuck, fuck,” Jason told him, even though that was a pretty obvious fact. Tight and warm and—just like everything else about sex with Nico—perfect.

“Nnngh!” Nico keened, no longer much for forming sentences. If Jason were more confident in his own ability to not come, he might have teased the dancer about it.

Eventually, Jason’s thrusts lost all sense of rhythm. He needed Nico to come. Nico first. Nico had to finish first. His hand crept down and wrapped around the younger man’s largely ignored dick, jerking him quickly in an attempt to keep pace with his erratic thrusts.

That did it.

Nico’s moan came out louder and higher pitched than the previous ones—Gods, he really did make the best sounds—as he came on his stomach and Jason’s hand.

Jason, unsurprisingly, followed mere seconds after. And shit, he had forgotten how it felt to orgasm because of someone else’s doing and not just from jacking off in the shower. The intense pleasure left him almost dizzy.

In the seconds that followed, the only sounds filling the room were those of two young men struggling to catch their breaths. Jason carefully withdrew from Nico in order to throw away the condom, cursing himself for putting his trashcan so far away. He would have considered just tying the condom and leaving it on the desk, if it weren’t for the spattering of Nico’s come across his hand and Nico’s stomach that needed to be dealt with. After a drawn out sigh and a quick peck on Nico’s cheek, he rose from the bed.

When Jason returned he found Nico with a blissed out smile on his face. “So that’s supposed to be you _out_ of practice?” He inquired, poking Jason’s chest, “I’m impressed.”

Jason laid down beside him with a satisfied smile of his own. “You know,” he said, “I am really, really happy right now.”

Nico climbed on top of him and captured his lips in a lazy, yet sensual kiss. “Me too. Now, how fast do you think you can get hard again?”

 

…

_Saturday, 1:00pm_

The cherry on top of the mistake cake, Nico couldn’t even pace his room without limping. Really, he shouldn’t have been down for a round three. Even if he didn’t need to dance today, it would be clear to anyone he saw that he had been fucked recently. Or that he got into a violent fight but honestly, who would believe _that_?

So Nico made up his mind to just not leave his apartment. Actually, to not even leave his room. Reyna gave up on trying to get any information from him when it became clear that he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Good. He didn’t need a lecture from Reyna today.

Actually, what he really needed was to dance and take his mind off of everything, but that was currently impossible. All because Jason Grace had a huge ass dick and Nico di Angelo was horny and impulsive.

_And maybe a heartbreaker._

No amount of dancing could erase that, though.

 

…

_Thirteen Hours Earlier_

The blowjob had been a truly inspired idea.

Even after two back-to-back rounds of hot dancer sex, Nico had the ability to get Jason hard. It genuinely surprised—and even sort of unsettled—Jason how good Nico was at sucking dick. He’d seemed so anti-sex up until tonight, but if his experience wasn’t clear before, it definitely shown through now. How many guys had Nico done this to?

Jason wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Instead, he let his head fall back and enjoyed the feeling of a wet, warm mouth engulfing his dick.

“Gods, Nico.” He panted. The pale boy raised his eyes to Jason’s face and smirked—well, as much as someone could smirk with a mouth full of cock. Then he released Jason from his mouth, choosing to run only his lips up the shaft.

“I should probably stop before you come.” Jason wasn’t sure what was more appealing, the way Nico’s thin, delicate fingers suddenly curled around his dick or the reddening cheeks on an already flushed face. He crawled on top of Jason and straddled his waist.

“Again? You’re insatiable,” Jason teased, even though he was just as bad.

“Says the guy who took out four condoms,” Nico retorted. “I’m just trying not to waste things, you know?” As he said this, he rolled one of those condoms onto Jason’s painfully hard erection. If they hadn’t already gone at it twice tonight, Jason would have likely came just from that.

Jason laughed and captured Nico’s lips, marveling for the hundredth time how seamlessly their two mouths fit together. Apparently, one of the things Nico did not like to waste was time, as he lifted himself up and lined up Jason’s dick for entry. _Mmmm,_ was Jason’s dancer going to ride him this time?

Well, not _his_ dancer. Not his anything at this point. But Jason wished he were. Not in an ownership kind of way—that was just fucked up—but in a boyfriend way. Yeah, boyfriends. That sounded spectacular.

Jason gasped into Nico’s mouth as the latter began lowering himself onto Jason’s dick. Nico the lover, as it turned out, was a lot more like Nico the dancer than Nico the normal college student. Focused, graceful, in his element, captivating. Jason envisioned a stage, with a spotlight pouring down on Jason and Nico together, dancing like partners. Only, instead of feet gliding over the floor, bodies pressed together in a different kind of duet. The two young men moved to a rhythm, only it was one created by need, not music. The sweat that dripped down their bodies was not due to a choreographed routine.

And Jason could hardly stand any of it. He felt completely enveloped in Nico’s presence, incapable of seeing anything else, feeling anything else… Nico was everywhere. Everything. Jason’s fingers clutched at his narrow hips, bringing him down harder and faster, thrusting up every time Nico came down.

Nico tore away from Jason’s lips in a moan that was almost a scream as Jason slammed into his prostate. _Beautiful._ Every moan and gasp and word that left his mouth was more beautiful than the last. And it was _Jason_ who had caused Nico to sound like that. Previously, Jason had assumed that only dance could elicit such passion from Nico but he was wrong. _He_ was capable of such a feat, too. All he had to do was hit that same place again, kiss his neck again, graze a finger over his nipple again, do everything again and again and again and—

Nico came with a great yell, his face pressed into the crook of Jason’s neck. Though the sound was muffled by skin, Jason realized that Nico had actually yelled a word. A name.

He said it again, softer this time. “Jason!”

“Nico,” Jason replied, whispering the word in his ear.

It didn’t take long for Jason to follow, coming while Nico’s ass still pulsated around him.

When Jason finally caught his breath, he disposed of the condom and grabbed the washcloth again. This whole night was just unreal. Nico simply accepting his dinner invite would have been enough to make Jason happy dance around his apartment. Everything else that followed made Jason want to happy dance down the entire west coast. But still, Nico’s eagerness seemed strange. Was Jason’s confession of feelings really all it took to make Nico warm up to him? Hell, this wasn’t just warm—this was red-hot. Jason figured he should probably ask the guy about it, knowing it would only nag at him if he didn’t.

It would have to wait until morning, though, as Jason returned to the bed to find Nico fast asleep, looking too much like a fallen angel. Yeah, this guy could be the death of Jason. If he could be so lucky.

_I’ll just talk to him tomorrow,_ he thought, crawling into bed beside the sleeping male and wiping the remnants of his release from his stomach

Out of every different variation of Nico he had seen, Jason found this peaceful, almost childlike one to be the most beautiful of all.

 

…

 

Nico opened his eyes to be immediately assaulted by blinding morning sunlight. He squinted in response to the unwelcome brightness, wondering why the hell he hadn’t closed his blinds the previous night. The tickle of breathing on the back of his neck gave Nico his answer. He hadn’t shut the blinds because this wasn’t his room, or his bed.

A warm, muscular arm constricted around Nico’s form. Jason. Jason Grace. Jason’s room, Jason’s bed, Jason’s still very naked body pressed flush against Nico’s back.

_Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no. Oh fuck no._

Not only had Nico willingly and eagerly had sex with Jason multiple times… No, that wasn’t bad enough. Nico had accidentally spent the night. Actually, scratch that. The accident had been letting his dick do all of the thinking in the first place. Kissing Jason, that had been a small but fixable error. But _this,_ this was new levels of fucked up.

One messy night with Will Solace aside, Nico had stuck to his rule for nearly two years. His very straightforward and most absolute rule. _Never let anyone distract you from your dream again._

Well, handsome as he may be, Nico’s dream was not to be fuck buddies—or lovers or whatever the hell Jason had in mind—with some confusing blond guy he barely knew. His dream was and always had been to dance, to dance as long as he could, as much as he could, and to get recognition for his years of hard work. To prove to his family that he wasn’t crazy for trying to make a career out of a “passionate hobby”.

And that was why Nico needed to leave. Immediately. If he didn’t, he would likely make this mistake again. And what if it was on a day of a lesson, or before a performance for school, or—gods forbid—a competition? Nico would not let that happen… again.

Quietly, carefully, he slid his way out of Jason’s grasp. Or rather, he tried to. The larger male groaned and his eyes suddenly crept open. “What are you doing?” He mumbled sleepily, pulling Nico back into their previous spooning position and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

“I—uh—” Damn. Nico wasn’t exactly a master of words. Wasn’t a master at all, really.

“Nico?” Jason asked, suddenly looking far more alert. “Everything all right? Are you hurting from last night?”

Hell yeah he was. In more ways than one.

“I just—” Wow, Jason was cute in the morning. Like a lazy puppy. Maybe Nico _could_ balance a relationship and dance…

No. No. For all he knew, he was falling for an act. This same cute puppy had been a near sex god just hours before. How much did Nico actually know about the guy?

“I shouldn’t have stayed the night. Or come over to begin with. This was a mistake. I’m sorry.” This time Nico was successful in pushing the now-confused-looking blond away. He rose from the bed, cringing slightly at the soreness from last night’s activities—yeah, just like losing his virginity all over again—and scanned the room for his clothes.

“But… we had sex,” Jason said, just when Nico had started to wonder if the classics student would sit there completely puzzled for the rest of the day.

“Yeah, I know. I’m not going to lie and say I am not attracted to you, but that doesn’t change what I told you the very first time you asked me out. I—I don’t date, Jason.” Wow, Nico really wished he’d put his pants on before having this conversation because breaking up with someone he wasn’t actually dating while totally naked in that someone’s bedroom was one of the most mortifying things Nico had ever done. He spotted the jeans at the foot of the bed and quickly—as quickly as he could limp over there—slid them on.

“But we had a good time. At least, I thought you had a good time. At dinner and…” Jason’s cheeks flushed pink, as if he had finally noticed that he was naked and Nico had been until just seconds ago, “And after dinner. I thought maybe you would finally give me a chance to—”

Nico let out an aggravated sigh. “Jason, you fucking slept with me. What more of a chance am I supposed to give you? I’m still not interested in getting to know you further and I am definitely not interested in anything like _this_ —” he gestured wildly between his and Jason’s bodies “—happening again.”

Now Jason rose from the bed, only he took the comforter with him, keeping it wrapped around his naked body. Good, Nico didn’t need to see Jason’s penis ever again. “I told you that I liked you and then you kissed me. And I asked you _twice_ if you were sure about having sex. You said you were _positive,_ Nico. Positive! You lied to me.” Nico could not tell if it was anger or hurt that caused the rise in Jason’s voice. He hoped for anger. Hurt was a far messier emotion.

“I got caught up in the moment. Maybe that’s selfish of me. I’m sorry if I lead you on… but this is me fixing it. I’ll make things as clear as possible. I do not want to date anyone right now, and I probably won’t want to date anyone for a long time. If you are as nice of a guy as I think you are, you’ll leave me alone.”

“Can’t we even be friends?”

Nico frowned. The lazy puppy Jason had resembled just minutes ago now looked like a lost one. Damn, how much _did_ he like Nico? Actually, Nico didn’t want to think about that. “You just proved that we can’t, Jason.”

“No, I can do friends. I promise. I’ll stop flirting with you, we can pretend last night didn’t even happen, just—”

“Where’s my shirt?” Nico didn’t see it in the pile of Jason’s clothes.

Blanketed shoulders slumped forward. “By the front door,” Jason muttered.

“Okay.”

“Let me drive you home.”

“No. I want to walk.”

“But you’re kind of limpi—”

“I just want to walk, okay! And I want you to stop pursuing me. Really, I have enough on my plate already.”

Now Jason’s head hung low, too. He fell back onto the bed in defeat, completely silent.

“I really am sorry,” Nico said, but Jason didn’t even look at him, nor did he say anything as Nico left the room.

In fact, it wasn’t until Nico had just shut the front door to Jason’s apartment that he heard the blond shout one final, frustrated word.

“Fuck!”

…

_Sunday, 3:00pm_

“Nico di Angelo, you haven’t left that room since yesterday. You already missed friend breakfast, get your ass out of bed and do something.” Reyna commanded, banging loudly on Nico’s bedroom door.

“Actually, I left my room twice to get food,” Nico muttered, staring at his ceiling. “I’m not in the mood to be active right now, okay?”

“Are you in the mood to finally tell me what you’re sulking about, then?”

Nico sighed. Typical Reyna: never one to beat around the bush.

“I’m sulking because I clearly missed my calling as a priest!” Nico whined, burying his face in the nearest pillow. He left out the part about pushing away the gorgeous and apparently all-around amazing guy who Nico might very well have been made to have sex with. Well, if the point of sex was being so good in bed even when apparently “out of practice” that you rendered your partner nearly immobile for a whole day afterwards.  

“How about you tell me all about it over some hot chocolate, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Nico sighed, “Okay.”

There was no winning with Reyna, after all.

 

…

 

Reyna was a good friend. The best friend Nico could ever ask for. She knew how to listen and no matter how many shameful things Nico told her—and there was never a shortage of those—she never judged him.

However, she never hesitated to tell the truth, either, whether Nico wanted to hear it or not.

“So, you like him?”

Nico stared down at the steaming cocoa in front of him. “I’m… confused about it. There are definitely things about him that I like, and I know that I’m physically attracted to him, obviously, but I also don’t really know him. And things happened way too quickly and the next thing I knew we were in bed together and it just—”

“You’re worried it will be like Octavian all over again,” Reyna surmised, sipping at her hot chocolate. “That’s why you ran.”

Nico flinched. _His_ name was rarely said aloud anymore, especially not by Reyna. Thinking his name was unpleasant enough, hearing it made Nico feel mildly sick. “Well, I mean that is part of it. I think that will always fuck with my head, but there is my dancing to think about, too. If I want to make a career out of dancing, I have to be serious. Focused, one hundred percent.”

“Why do you sound so disappointed, then?” The older girl asked, leaning in until Nico had no choice but to look at her.

But Nico didn’t answer her. Whatever she was looking for, Nico was sure she read it right on his face.

She always did.

 

…

 

Jason felt like an oddly aggressive zombie through all of his Monday classes. A few years ago, one-night stands weren’t unusual for Jason. He’d meet a guy he was interested in, they’d have sex, and the next day he’d be gone. Simple. Fun. Free.

But adding Nico to that list of forgettable guys had never been Jason’s intention. Okay, maybe the day they met Jason’s first thought had been about getting into the dancer’s pants, but he never pictured it as a random fuck. Nico was the kind of alluring that you wanted to get to know, wanted to take to dinner, wanted to travel the world with and make love to in exotic locations, wanted to call yours.

Jason wouldn’t call it love at first sight—he wasn’t that crazy. He knew that it was impossible to really love someone after just looking at them for a second. But he definitely liked Nico a lot, and the feelings had only strengthened after Friday night.

Which was exactly what made Jason so damn frustrated. He’d tried like hell to get Nico to give him a chance, tried like hell to get to know him, tried like hell to show that he really was a guy worthy of dating… and he’d actually started to think that those efforts were paying off. When Nico kissed him, everything fell into place.

When he left the next morning, Nico tore it all apart.

And Jason didn’t want to be that fuckboy who was incapable of handling rejection. He knew that he needed to cut his losses and try to move on, but he couldn’t seem to do that. He couldn’t because, when they’d talked, when they’d kissed, when they’d had sex and fallen asleep together, Jason knew he wasn’t the only one who felt the connection. Maybe Nico wasn’t in as deep as Jason in the feelings pool, but he _was_ in it.

So why did he have to try so hard to deny it? That simply didn’t make sense to Jason, and until it did, he wasn’t going to give up. He’d come so close to making a breakthrough Friday night, who’s to say he couldn’t do it again?

_Piper McLean, apparently._

“Jason, if you try to talk to him after Zoë’s lesson tomorrow, he’s going to freak the fuck out.”

The two of them had both finished classes for the day at the same time, and Piper, being the take-no-shit-from-anyone-especially-not-my-best-friend kind of girl that she was, had insisted on them grabbing lunch together.

“What else can I do, Pipes? Wait for him outside his apartment building? I don’t even have his phone number.”

“He said he wants you to leave him alone, right? So just leave him alone for a while. He probably needs time to think and breathe.”

“But Piper, if I do that, how am I ever going to get anywhere?”

“You think he likes you back, at least to some extent, right?”

“Yes, that’s why I need to talk to him.”

“No. You need to show him that you listened to what he said on Saturday. Respect his space. If he does like you like you think, but he still left on Saturday, he’s probably feeling pretty confused about everything. You smothering him would only put him on the defensive, especially if you’re confronting him where he _works._ ”

“So I don’t even acknowledge him when I see him tomorrow? I don’t think I’m that strong. You don’t realize how hot he looks all dressed up in his dance clothes.”

“Don’t even go inside the building. I mean it. And not Thursday, either.”

Jason tried not to pout. He knew that what Piper said probably made a lot of sense—it usually did—so even if he didn’t understand it now, listening to her advice was the best thing he could do. If it meant he stood a chance of getting Nico to stop running from him, Jason would take a break from chasing.

“Okay, fine.”

Piper had always been sort of an expert on relationships, even though she usually maintained a level of modesty about it. Her mother, a famous Los Angeles relationship counselor, had imparted her wisdom on her three daughters all of their lives. Granted, all of these daughters came from different fathers, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t great at helping out other people. Piper would kill Jason for saying so, but she was a lot like her mother that way. She’d never really dated anyone throughout all the time Jason had known her, but her relationship wisdom never faltered.

“Great. By the way, I promised Leo we would both go with him to Rachel’s art show this Friday. He’s going to try groveling for forgiveness or something.”

“How come he gets to grovel and I have to step back?”

“Because groveling is probably the only way Leo stands a chance at getting a girlfriend,” she smirked.

Jason sighed. “In that case, I’ll be there.” Maybe doing something with his friends would be a welcomed distraction.

Maybe.

 

…

 

Nico had trouble looking at Zoë Grace in class on Tuesday. In particular her big, blue eyes haunted him. Nico did not know who the girl’s father was, but he wished she could have looked a little more like him and a little less like her mother—and by default, her uncle.

Her—no pun intended— pain in the ass of an uncle. Was he waiting on the other side of those one-way mirrors, watching from a distance as he always did? If there was a God out there, Nico hoped He would not be so cruel. Still, Nico had a lesson to teach, and there were more immediate issues for him to focus on. Though he was no longer sore, Nico felt out of step and awkward throughout the entire lesson. He hadn’t practiced for his upcoming recital since Friday, and hadn’t danced much during his actual classes the last two days. In fact, Nico nearly lost his footing while trying to demonstrate the proper landing for a particular move in his eight to ten year old class yesterday.

And twice already during today’s lessons had one of the girls needed to call out to him and bring him back to reality. This was exactly why Nico couldn’t be with Jason. If a one-night stand had thrown Nico off _this_ much, what would anything more serious do to him?

When seven o’clock rolled around, Nico didn’t know whether to feel relieved that class was actually over or nervous about seeing Jason again. Walking the girls out of the room, he actually held his breath.

But the stress turned out to be wasted. There was no Jason there. Not on the benches, not standing off to the side, not in the cluster of mothers. Maybe Nico had not given Jason enough credit before. Apparently “no” _was_ a word in his vocabulary.

Good, then. It seemed Jason Grace would not be one of Nico’s concerns anymore.

Just how he wanted it.

Nico retreated back into the dance room without a single word of goodbye to any of his students, a small frown tugging at his lips.

 

…

 

“I feel weird, Hazel,” Nico admitted on the phone Friday morning. “Like, I know I got what I wanted, but I feel weird about it. I thought I would be able to focus better with this guy out of the way, but…”

“But you’re still pretty into him, aren’t you?” She guessed. “You know, it might not be so bad to try dating again. If he is leaving you alone like you asked, maybe he genuinely is as nice of a guy as he seems.”

“Maybe so, but I can’t go down that road another time, Hazel. I’m no good at being in a relationship.”

“Or maybe your last relationship in general just wasn’t good. Are you going to let that drag you down forever? Dance is a huge part of your life, but it isn’t the _only_ part of it, is it?”

Nico sighed. He’d tackled the same question all last night. Certainly, Nico loved his sisters, and Reyna, and the rest of his friends. He’d always carved out time to see them, even if it wasn’t an overwhelming amount. But romantic relationships were different—more demanding. The last time Nico had tried to put a relationship on the backburner, it had blown up in his face. But if Nico couldn’t afford to make time for a boyfriend and couldn’t afford to not make time for a boyfriend, then the only option was to not have a boyfriend at all.

At least, that was what he’d told himself two years ago.

And then Jason happened.

Jason Grace, the peculiar mix of shy smiles and sexy chuckles and awkward stammering and hot kisses. One week later and Nico could still imagine he felt Jason’s hands skimming his sides, his tongue sweeping over Nico’s neck. _“You know, I don’t usually notice people, especially not in a romantic way… But the day we met, it was like impossible for me not to notice you.”_

Nico had never responded to Jason’s confession, never told him that it had been the same for him, too. He’d noticed Jason from the minute they met, and he’d been noticing him ever since.

“I just… don’t know, Haze. Like I said, I feel weird.”

He could practically hear his sister nod through the phone. “Okay, well we can talk about it more tonight, if you want. You’re still coming to the art exhibit, right?”

Despite his current mood, Nico smiled. “Of course, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Then I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, see you.” As he hung up the phone, Nico made a promise to himself not to stress about Jason Grace for the rest of the day.

Granted, he hadn’t been very good at keeping his promises as of late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I wonder what will happen in the next chapter? ;)
> 
> By the way, I'm leaving for university in a week and have no idea what the next few months are going to be like, so just be patient with me for a while. Once I settle into school life I will have a better idea of how much time I will have in my schedule to write. I'll always try to update as quickly as I can though because I love each and every one of you little flower pots. <3
> 
> As usual, my next update will be The Murder Suspect. Okie Dokie that's all I have to say, Carlee out!


	6. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know I KNOW it has been almost two months. I am trash. One day I will be able to write an author's note that doesn't include an apology for update wait times... one day. (But hey, I'm a college girl now, life is busy.) 
> 
> You might notice that this chapter is shorter than my usual ones. I just felt it was very complete and perfect how it was, and I didn't want to clutter it with other scenes solely for the purpose of making it longer. That being said, my next update for this story will likely also be a little shorter. I will probably write and post it before returning to the Murder Suspect. We'll see.
> 
> Okay, I am sure you want to just read. I'll stop talking.

Jason, as it turned out, was not a very good wingman.

“I’m _not_ talking to him,” Rachel Dare huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I am displaying mywork right now, I don’t have time for Leo’s lame story about how he shouldn’t be blamed for his inability to define the relationship. If he wants to date multiple girls at once, fine. But I won’t be one of them.”

Jason nervously shifted from foot to foot, grasping for a response that would paint his friend in the best possible light. After his falling out with both Calypso and Rachel, Leo had been at a loss for what to do. But apparently over the course of the past week, Piper had persuaded Leo to try just dating one of the girls. Jason honestly thought Leo might have picked Calypso, as she had more of the “hot factor” that Leo was in to, but he had written her off on account of “She always seemed really indifferent about everything,” So now Leo was trying to get Rachel back, which was difficult considering how studiously she had been ignoring him.

Yeah, Jason had no idea what _that_ was like. How the hell was he supposed to get Rachel to talk to Leo when he couldn’t even stop Nico from leaving Saturday morning? Luckily, Piper swooped in to save him from the embarrassment. 

“Well, you see Rachel, we all know that Leo can be a huge idiot sometimes and he just—” Jason found himself tuning out Piper’s words as the memories of how he spent his last Friday night came flooding back in. Nico gasping into his mouth, grinding on to his lap, clutching at Jason’s back, falling asleep in his bed, coldly walking out when morning came…

Fuck, Jason was _supposed_ to be using this art show as a chance to take his mind off of Nico, not to think about him more. He sighed.

“Be right back,” he muttered, wandering away from the two talking girls to find Leo sitting on a bench across the gallery, tinkering with some small contraption he had anxiously made out of the miscellaneous items in his pockets on the drive here.

“Hey, how’s it going?” He asked, sounding momentarily hopeful until he saw Jason’s face. “Dios mio, that bad?”

“No, no, it’s not about Rachel. Piper is talking to her now. I don’t know _how_ it’s going. I was just kind of bumming, I guess.”

“Oh, thinking about that Noel guy perhaps?”

“Nico,” Jason supplied. “And yeah, kind of. I haven’t seen him all week and it’s really frustrating. I can’t just forget him.”

“Nico, right, right. Nico. I’ll make sure to remember that, you know how bad I can be with names,” Leo laughed nervously, messing around with his contraption even more. Jason realized suddenly that the Latino on the bench may have been even more stressed out than Jason tonight. Granted, Jason’s crush wasn’t a mere hundred feet away from him.

 

…

 

Nico had an appreciation for all of the arts. He swore he did.

The appreciation for it was just… on temporary vacation.

Nico had made it through nearly half of the gallery before he realized that he hadn’t _truly_ looked at any of the artworks.

“Dammit,” he muttered, circling back to his sister’s display. Her pieces, at least, he had taken the time to admire. Hazel did beautiful ink drawings, as well as several paintings that Nico had never seen before. In high school, Hazel’s fascination had been horses. Now that she was in university, however, her horse obsession had started to die down. Nothing had really replaced it yet so most of her work depicted different sceneries. Nico smirked at the one that looked like the Underworld. His family was a little _too_ into the Hades nickname, if Nico was being honest.

“See something you like?” Will joked, appearing suddenly at Nico’s side.

“Yeah. The afterlife. Death, my true love.”

“I think you missed your calling, could have had a hell of a career in brooding emo kid poetry,” he poked Nico’s side.

“I’m not emo, first of all,” Nico rolled his eyes, though he did smile as he spoke. “And I’m not a kid, either. Last time I checked, I am three months older than you.”

“What, not going to deny the brooding part?” The blond smirked.

Nico shrugged. “Where’s your roommate?”

“The same place Luke is, probably. That is to say, long gone from here and probably fucking in Luke’s car in the nearest abandoned parking lot. But hey, speaking—”

Nico grimaced, missing the rest of whatever Will said. He did not want to imagine Luke and Eros having sex, he didn’t want to imagine anyone having sex. He especially did not want to think about his own recent sex life, as short lived as it had been. Even being in a car earlier in the evening had made Nico uncomfortable. Last Friday, another car, another driver.

He could practically feel Jason’s hands on him now.

_Get out of my head!_ Why couldn’t Nico just get a hold of himself?

“And where there’s smoke there’s fire, right. I mean, I’d just be on the lookout for—”

Nico? Are you listening to me?” Will asked, sounding more than a little miffed. Shit, had he still been talking? What was the last thing he’d said?

“Yeah, I heard you.”

“Really? Because you seem to be taking this pretty well and—”

“Really, everything is fine,” Nico said, even though he had no idea what Will was talking about. All he knew was that he probably needed some air, or a drink, or really anything that would help Nico not think about last weekend. Because the absolute last thing he needed right now was a mind full of Jason Grace.

He scurried off to the nearest exit, leaving Will in the dust.

 

…

 

“You’re the artist?” Jason inquired, turning to an incredibly petite girl with smooth dark skin and wild golden hair.

“Yeah,” the girl—Hazel Levesque, according to a plaque by her work—said with a warm smile. “Are you interested in mythology?”

“You could definitely say that,” the blond told her, admiring a painting of Cerberus, guardian beast of the Underworld.

“Uh, Jason,” Piper said, appearing practically out of nowhere and startling the blond. “Little problem.”

“Oh gods, is Leo blowing it?” Jason, not sure what moral support he could possibly give his distraught friend, had gone off on his own to check out the gallery. Last he had seen, Leo and Rachel were sitting on a bench talking, which he had taken for a good sign.

_Glad that some people can talk through their issues…_

“No, not exactly, I actually think that’s going pretty well, but uh… Do you remember Will, my sorta friend from that party a few weeks ago?”

A lump formed in Jason’s throat. “You mean the Will from your yoga class that is friends with…” _Nico._

“Yeah, well, he’s kind of maybe definitely here right now. I ran into him about ten minutes ago.”

“What?” Jason tensed. One of Nico’s friends was here?

“Yeah, and he said he is here to support Nico’s _younger sister._ ”

_“What?”_ Jason repeated, panic clear in his voice this time.

The artist, Hazel, made a small choking noise. “Sorry, something in my throat.”

“Pipes, I have to leave. If his sister is here, that means _he_ is obviously here too, somewhere. Oh fuck, oh _fuck._ He is going to think I followed him. He is _so_ going to think I am stalking him. Shit. I really need to go.”

“Breathe, Jason. It’s an art show, you have as much a right to be here as he does. Besides, how could you possibly know he would be here? You haven’t even seen him all week.”

“Exactly, it’s been a week. If I see him, I’ll probably just vomit up a bunch of embarrassing words and he’ll get mad. What if he kicks Zoë out of his class because I couldn’t keep it in my pants?”

Hazel cough-choked again. “You know, I better go get some water,” she left, giving Jason and Piper some privacy. Actually, Jason had practically forgotten she was there.

_Wait,_ he thought, _come back and tell me if you know a girl named di Angelo._

“Jason, honey, from what you told me, I’d say dancer boy was equally guilty of not being able to keep it in his pants. And he’s not going to punish Zoë either. I’m just telling you this so you won’t be taken completely by surprise if you do happen to see him.”

Jason chewed his lip while his heart raced with excitement at the possibility of seeing Nico, no matter how bad that could end up being for him.

On second thought, maybe Jason needed some air.

 

…

 

Nico figured it was time for him to face the facts. Even after sleeping with him, even after finally getting Jason off of his back, even after going a week without seeing him, the blond was still on Nico’s mind all hours of the day. Even today, when he had told himself he would not think about him, those electric blue eyes had haunted the corners of his mind.

And Nico knew why, whether or not he could admit to it.

He wanted Jason. He’d wanted him last week and he still wanted him now. He wanted Jason to smile at him and kiss him and act like Nico was special, even though Nico knew he wasn’t. Knowing that someone desired him made Nico feel warm, tingly, and almost even a little confident. Almost.

But more than anything, it terrified him. Because honestly, despite the conversations they had shared in the past, Nico still barely knew the guy. Was it right to be attracted to someone when you didn’t really know them? Or was this just infatuation?

Nico didn’t know, but for the first time in over a year, he caught himself wanting to find out. What if Hazel had been right on the phone that morning? What if Nico’s last relationship had just been exceptionally bad, and Nico had let it hold him back unnecessarily for all this time?

Could Nico find a balance? Was he willing to try?

Nico sighed and sat on a bench in front of one of the windows. It was chilly without a jacket outside, but Nico didn’t care. He felt a lot colder on the inside than the outside.

Because it didn’t matter if he was willing to try anymore. Jason had listened to Nico, and unless the dancer decided to throw away all of his pride and walk to the apartment building of a guy he wasn’t even sure he could truly date to talk, he probably wouldn’t see him again.

Maybe the person Nico really should have been worried about hurting him was himself. How many times had Nico fucked himself over in his life? Actually, he didn’t want to count. That would likely depress the crap out of him.

Shivering in the chilly fall air, Nico decided it was probably best to go back inside. Maybe mull this over in the bathroom where it was warmer. Maybe he could even talk to Hazel about it, although discussing his romantic life with his younger sister always left him feeling a little embarrassed.

Nico walked around to the nearest side door to see if it was unlocked. As it turned out, though, it didn’t matter, because immediately upon reaching out for the handle, the door flung open. Nico had to jump back to avoid being hit.

“Shit,” he cursed, nearly tripping over his feet. Then his eyes met the eyes of the frantic door opener. “Shit,” he repeated, his stomach dropping to his knees. Blues eyes widened in shock. Familiar blue eyes.

What in the world was Jason Grace doing at a college art exhibit? Nico swallowed hard.

“Jas—”

“I swear I didn’t follow you here!” The tall young man squeaked, sounding uncharacteristically small. “I’m not stalking you!”

Nico just stared at him. Jason looked nervous, but not surprised. At least, not as surprised as Nico probably looked.

“I’m just leaving, I swear. I won’t bother you! Have fun with your sister!” He skirted around the frozen Nico and started down the sidewalk.

“Wait,” Nico managed to say, even though he had no idea what to say to the retreating male.

Jason stopped, turning back to Nico with an expression that looked both nervous and hopeful. Nico’s stomach fluttered nervously. What was he doing? What was he _doing?_

_I’m trying to do something that will make me happy,_ Nico reminded himself. _If it’s not too late._

“Can we maybe… talk?” Nico muttered, scratching his head.

Jason blinked at him, then nodded once, his eyes boring into Nico’s. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Nico nodded too, swallowing hard and walking past the blond, indicating for him to follow. They wound up on a bench, the same bench that Nico had been sitting on just minutes ago.

“I promise I didn’t know you were going to be here. Piper told me that she saw Will and that your sister was part the exhibit, so I left. I’m not trying to… make you feel uncomfortable or anything.”

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about. Um, but I appreciate that you have been, you know, keeping your distance and stuff.” God, Nico sounded so stupid. He wanted to bite his tongue off.

Jason blushed. “Well you didn’t exactly give me much of a choice,” he said, giving an awkward, uncomfortable laugh. “I’m not an asshole, after all.”

“I am,” Nico declared. “An asshole, I mean.”

Jason said nothing, but the look on his face indicated it was more out of confusion than silent agreement.

“I left last weekend without really explaining myself. Or at least I did a pretty shitty job of it. And I totally did lead you on, which was pretty unfair. I kissed you, and I made you think that I was on the same page as you, and even though I knew I didn’t want to go there with you… I did it anyway because I wanted you and I was selfish and reckless about it. Basically, I treated you like shit.” The words were spilling out of Nico so fast he could barely think about what he was saying, but he knew it had to be that way. Blurt it out, get everything off of his chest before embarrassment or nervousness could set in.

He took a breath and continued. “The thing is, the way I‘ve acted these last few weeks has been just as confusing to me as it has been to you. I know that after last weekend, and even after the ice cream, it might have felt like I was sending you mixed signals. But that’s just because I’ve been feeling mixed things. Like, I—” Nico needed air. He was outside and he still felt like he couldn’t breathe. Jason was just _staring_ at him. “Part of me is like, wow, I could really potentially like this guy. But then I think of the fact that we don’t really know each other, I mean, we know almost nothing about each other. There is so much about me that you don’t know and so these feelings just made me panic, ya know? Because what if you didn’t actually like me? Or I didn’t actually like you? And I’ve had a really bad experience with relationships and I promised myself I wouldn’t make the same mistakes again and then there I was last weekend, making the same mistakes again. Rushing into things, not allowing myself to think first. And I realize that isn’t fair to you, and you aren’t the any of people I’ve been with before. You’ve done practically nothing wrong and I’ve done… everything wrong, honestly. I shouldn’t have just walked out last week. I should have said all of what I am about to say now, then. But, I don’t think I really realized all of that then. I’m not even sure if I could have told you all of this yesterday…”

Nico wasn’t sure if Jason had blinked in the last minute. He swallowed hard. Cold out or not, his palms were sweating. “I’m scared. Being around you scares me, because I barely know you and yet I… I want to. That’s why I’m always so irritated with you. Because everything was so much simpler for me before I met you, and part of me thought that if you went away again, things would be the same way they were before. But I don’t think that’s true anymore. I stood out to you the first day we met, and you stood out to me, too. And you just keep standing out to me. You were the first person in a long time who made me want to reconsider my stance on dating. I hid from that fact, I couldn’t admit to it. But this week when you were gone… I didn’t like it. Something about you makes me feel better, brighter, sharper. I don’t know if that makes any sense. And maybe that means I have feelings for you, maybe it’s just some stupid infatuation that I can’t get over but… I think I owe it to myself… and to you… to find out. That is, if you still feel the same.”

Jason still didn’t say anything. Not a word. Nico couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

_Fuck fuck fuck what if I am too late and he hates me?_

“What—” Jason paused, probably trying to gather his thoughts. “What exactly are you suggesting? Because you just said a lot of stuff and I don’t want to jump to conclusions based off of… what I hope you are saying.”

Nico was almost certain he was blushing. Great, how romantic of him. “I’d like a chance to get to know you. That’s what you’ve been trying to do all along, right? You wanted me to give you a chance and get to know you. I’m the one who fucked it up, seducing you and all.”

“You didn’t have to try too hard…” Jason muttered, and if Nico wasn’t mistaken, the blond had started blushing as well. “But you said… Last week you said that we couldn’t even be friends.”

“Well, that’s still true, kinda. I don’t think I could be just your friend… But that’s where this big mess comes in. I don’t _know_ what I’m feeling, and I want to know. If that means spending more time with you or going out with you or whatever, then that’s what I want to do. Maybe it will work out and maybe it won’t but… who am I to say what will happen at this point?”

Jason bit back a smile. “Yes, predicting the future is sort of impossible, isn’t it?”

“So you don’t hate me? After last week?” Nico felt his lips on the verge of smiling, his heart slowly lifting.

“No. I mean, I was bummed out and frustrated, but I think I get where you are coming from. And I apologize if I put pressure on you, even though you insist I didn’t do really anything wrong.”

“Well, actually, there was the time you shamelessly internet stalked me…”

“The _one_ time,” Jason clarified. “Like you’ve never internet stalked someone.”

A light sound that was almost a laugh escaped Nico’s throat. “Fair.”

“Yes, then. I do still feel the same, and I would be honored,” Jason nudged an inch closer to the dancer, “to get to know you and court you and whatever it takes for you to figure out how you feel. How could I not, when you prepared such a long, long, long speech about it?”

“Leave me alone,” Nico groaned, his face flaring even hotter.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Now we’ve both made wordy speeches about feelings. We’re even.”

In a moment of teenage elation, Nico felt like dancing. Not in his usual, polished and professional manner, but full-on dancing in circles and jumping around like a thirteen year old girl at a Taylor Swift concert. He smiled wide, and Jason smiled back, and for a moment Nico couldn’t remember how to form words.

“I do have a few conditions, though,” he said after a few moments.

“Sure, name them.”

Jason sounded so genuine, like he would literally do whatever Nico asked. _So different than Octavian…_

“One, I want to totally wipe the slate clean with us and start over. No past fuck ups.”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

“Two, don’t expect us to be having sex again any time soon. If I do at some point decide that I want to be in a full relationship, that will be a ways down the road. I need to go slow.”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I normally don’t just, you know, sleep with people casually.”

Nico grinned. “Uh, three. You can’t keep doing that thing where you act like I am this otherworldly prize and get all choked up about it. I’m just a normal guy, and I don’t like feeling like I have to be whatever it is you expect me to be. I’ll only disappoint you.”

“On the contrary, I get choked up around you merely because I am a loser with no game at all.”

Nico snorted. “Yeah. Right.” Mr. No Game who threw a handful of condoms onto the bed with the intention of using every one of them. Who smiled at Nico with that damn smile he was giving him _right fucking now._

“Anything else?”

“That’s all I can think of for now.”

“Then I have my own condition.”

“Do you?” Nico asked, eyebrows raising against his will.

“Uh huh. You can’t reject me every time I ask about your personal life. If you really want to see if we can work, you have to be more open with me. I mean, I don’t need to hear your whole life story at once, but… it would be nice to learn more things about you. And in exchange I will respect whatever boundaries you have.”

Nico didn’t need to think it over. He’d already considered these things several times. “Deal.”

“So it is.” Jason said, his gorgeous blue eyes steady on Nico’s once again. For a second, Nico felt completely frozen. And then—

“Hi,” he said, holding out a hand to the blond, “I’m Nico di Angelo, pleased to meet you.”

“Hi,” Jason took his hand—the first time they’d touched all night—and shook it, “I’m Jason Grace, the pleasure is all mine.”

“NICOOOOOOOOO is that you?” A frustratingly familiar French accent hollered. Nico turned to see Eros practically skipping up the sidewalk. “I would ask what you are doing out here in the cold but,” he eyed Jason thoughtfully, “I think the answer is quite obvious.”

“Uh, hi,” Jason said, awkwardly waving at their little French intruder.

“Eros,” Nico said, shooting the teen an irritated look, “Aren’t you supposed to be long gone and hooking up somewhere?”

“I was, but they are about to be giving out the awards!” Behind Eros, Nico could spot Luke grouchily but dutifully marching into the building. Tonight at least, Eros seemed to have the guy fairly whipped. “And you’d better come too or Hazel will never forgive you!” He sang, turning and following after the aggravated Luke.

Nico looked back at Jason. “Um, I should probably—”

“Yeah,” Jason nodded. “I get it, I understand. When can I see you again?”

“Halloween is tomorrow, do you have any plans?”

“Thalia is going out, so I’m taking Zoë trick or treating. Not terribly exciting but… if you wanted to come…”

Nico smiled. _That_ was the Jason Grace that Nico could see himself dating. “That sounds great.”

“Okay,” Jason’s smile was so genuine, Nico couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well, I will see you tomorrow, then, I guess. Goodnight.” Nico started to leave before a thought occurred to him and he quickly turned back, only to find Jason on his feet with one arm triumphantly in the air.

“Oh gods, well this is embarrassing,” Jason blushed, dropping the arm. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah, I don’t have your phone number.”

“Right, right,” Jason nodded, still furiously blushing. Part of Nico wanted to kiss the blond, right then and there. He threw that idea away. Acting on his physical attractions was how he’d gotten into such a mess in the first place.

After exchanging numbers, Nico had to hurry back to the nearest entrance so as not to miss the awards.

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure the way he tripped on an uneven bit of sidewalk didn’t go unnoticed by Jason.

_I guess we’re both dorks,_ Nico mused. _Good._

And suddenly, Nico found himself unbearably excited for it to be tomorrow.

“Hey, wait!” Jason hollered, just before Nico got out of earshot. “Did that guy say your sister’s name is _Hazel?_ ”


	7. Pleased To Treat You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of me is devastated that I couldn't get this chapter out in time for actual Halloween, but I am finding comfort in the fact that this chapter became way longer than I predicted. I figure you guys won't complain about getting more content. Ha. 
> 
> I'm also pretty satisfied by the outcome of this chapter, so I hope you all will enjoy it too. It was a lot more work than I predicted.

“I _knew_ you weren’t listening to me last night,” Will remarked, examining Nico’s closet early Saturday evening. Nico rolled his eyes at the pre-med student, who was actually dressed as a doctor. A zombie doctor.

Halloween really was ridiculous.

“Oops?” He shrugged. “You should have known better. I never listen to the crazy shit you say.”

Will laughed and winked. “You _love_ the crazy shit I say.” Then he turned back to the closet in frustration. “Do you own _anything_ date acceptable, Nico darling?”

“I take offense to that, you know,” Nico grumbled, rolling over on his bed. “And this isn’t a date. And if you call me a darling again you’re going to need a real doctor.”

Will scowled. “I am a real doctor!”

“In like ten years, maybe.”

“You’re mad because I knew Jason and Piper were at the art show and you were too busy brooding to actually listen. But hey, don’t be mad. It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?” He sighed at Nico’s wardrobe. “At least Halloween is the one night where it’s okay to wear all black.”

Jason would be picking Nico up within the hour, and Nico had been buzzing with nerves about it all day. And all last night, honestly.

Will, of course, had invited himself over to make sure that Nico was ready and that he “wouldn’t totally blow it with Captain Hottie this time.”

Actually, perhaps it was Will that was ridiculous, not Halloween.

“You’re not jealous, right?” Nico asked, remembering how Will had taken interest in Jason following the party, “I know you thought Jason was—”

“A ten? I do think that, _which_ is why I am so happy that you’re giving him a chance. This friendship can only have one workaholic and that’s me. And, in my advanced medical opinion, you need to get laid. Again.”

“Slow down there, Zombie MD. I’m not having sex with him… Again.”

Somehow, over the course of the last week, all of Nico’s friends had learned about the Jason sex mishap. Nico was hardly surprised, considering his friend group. But still, Nico didn’t know how to feel about this conversation in particular. Talking about his sex life was weird enough, talking about it with someone who had once been a part of said sex life was even weirder.

“Suit yourself. Either way,” he pulled a black long sleeve t-shirt with a skull on the front and a lightweight jacket from the closet, “wear this. You’ll look all dark and moody, Jason’s clearly into that.”

Nico smacked his forehead. Where was Reyna when he needed her?

 

…

 

“You should cancel on Thalia and come to the party with us, show your potential boyfriend a good time,” Rachel told Jason at dinner. She was dressed like a hippie for Halloween, but Jason could have believed she would wear the same outfit on any other day. The girl had her quirks, to say the least. She walked with her messenger back held in front of her so no one could look through it without her knowing, was a member of about nine activists group Jason had never heard of, and somehow she always ended up with paint on her skin—chin, cheek, elbows, anywhere. The fact that she was totally clean tonight must have meant that she was trying extra hard to look nice, though Jason always thought the wild redhead was a pretty girl. Really, he enjoyed her a lot, strangeness and all. He was glad that she had given Leo another chance. Had Leo chosen to pursue Calypso, Jason figured the caramel haired girl would currently be criticizing Jason’s posture, or something.

But Leo seemed happy, practically glowing tonight. All because of Rachel. Jason understood the feeling. He was so excited he could barely sit still. After he finished eating, he was going to pick up Nico. Nico di Angelo was going to willingly spend time with him. Could life actually be so good?

“Yeah, Jason,” Leo agreed, his arm thrown over Rachel’s shoulder. “Let us meet your bae. I promise I wouldn’t even embarrass you… that much.”

“Oh my gods, did you really just use the word bae, Leo?” Piper rubbed her forehead.

The Latino grinned and shrugged.

“Really though, Piper says he’s a cutie,” Rachel added. “I’ve never seen you with anyone. Your last relationship ended before we became friends.”

Nico di Angelo was way more than just a cutie, Jason wanted to correct, but that would be a little too humiliating. He figured his friends did not want to hear him ramble on about the dancer’s hotness for the next thirty years. Besides, that would probably get him nervous all over again about tonight.

Nervousness and excitement kept battling within him; Jason could hardly tell which feeling was stronger. Rachel’s reminder that he hadn’t been with anyone in a serious way since the summer before his junior year in university didn’t help to ease the anxiousness.

 _Just breathe, Jason,_ he reminded himself. _This isn’t even a date. You two are just getting to know each other. It’s friends. Hanging out. It’s casual._

Only, Jason’s feelings weren’t casual. He’d told Nico they could go slow and he’d meant it. He wanted Nico to be sure of his feelings, no matter how long it took. Still, that didn’t mean Jason hadn’t spent half of the night thinking about how much he wanted to just kiss Nico’s endearingly chapped lips when they were sitting on that bench.

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m trying to get this guy to like me, not scare him off forever by subjecting him to Leo,” Jason teased.

“HEY!” Leo protested, “I take that very personally, you know.”

Jason would have responded, if not for the vibration of his phone in his pocket. A text from Nico.

**Are you going to be on your way soon? Will is here and driving me crazy.**

Jason smiled and bit his lip. **_Just finishing up dinner. What’s Will doing?_**

**Being stupid. Hey, are you wearing a costume?**

Jason looked down at his attire for the evening.   ** _Not really. Just a Superman shirt that I found in my closet._**

**Okay, good. I don’t really do the costume thing.**

**_Well I hope you can convince Zoë that whatever you are wearing counts as a costume, she has a Peter Pan outfit she’s just waiting to shove on someone._ **

Jason had never felt more eager. He just wanted to already be there. He wanted to see Nico’s face, and if he was lucky, even get a smile or two out of him. Gods, that would be the life.

“You’re biting your lip and staring at your phone,” Piper noticed. “Texting Nico?”

“Yeah,” Jason couldn’t help but smile stupidly. His body buzzed with anticipation. Was it time to leave yet? What if he got to Nico’s apartment early? Would that be too lame?

His phone vibrated, and Jason jumped.

**I’ll take my chances. See you soon :P**

The blond melted into his seat a little as he read Nico’s message four times over. “Just go already,” Rachel laughed. “Leave some cash for the waitress, we’ll take care of the tip. I get the feeling you’re dying to be somewhere else right now.”

“Your bae awaits,” Leo added.

Piper rolled her eyes. “Leo’s an idiot, but I agree. It’s pretty clear you’re dying to go see Nico. Don’t hang back on our account. But we’re all getting breakfast tomorrow morning at that bagel place down the street, and I expect to hear every detail of your night.”

“Deal,” Jason said, dropping money on the table and shooting his friends a nervous grin. “Any quick last words of encouragement?”

“I think as long as you don’t stick your dick in him everything will be—OW!” Leo rubbed his arm where Rachel had punched it. “I mean, be yourself and relax?” Leo tried again, looking for confirmation from Rachel that he had said the right thing this time. She nodded, a slight smile on her face.

_Be yourself and relax._

Yeah, yeah Jason could do that. Jason could totally do that.

… He hoped.

 

…

 

Thankfully, Nico had managed to kick Will out of his apartment before Jason arrived to pick him up. He probably would have died of embarrassment if he’d had to be around both blonds at the same time. Nico was nervous enough at the prospect of spending the evening with Jason, having Will there to remind him of it and joke about it wasn’t doing him any favors.

As it was, he’d only been left with about ten minutes to gather his thoughts before Jason arrived. Three knocks on the door and his heart started beating erratically.

“Coming!” He said, already feeling a blush rising to his cheeks. This would be the first time the two of them hung out in a completely voluntary matter, with actual possibilities floating in the air. Nico didn’t know what would happen.

And it excited him.

“Hey,” he greeted, trying not to fret over how quickly he’d opened the door. He could do with a little less excitement, maybe. Was it really only a week ago he’d have done anything possible to get away from this guy? And now he was practically jumping out of the door just to see him? Either Jason had special powers or Nico was just way weaker than he used to be.

_Or Hazel was right and I was just being unnecessarily stubborn before._

And there Jason was, tall and broad-shouldered and smiling and gorgeous as ever. With his smile focused right on Nico, the dancer felt like he needed to sit down. Getting weak in the knees was a real thing, who knew?

_Okay, physical attraction: check check check check check CHECK._

Not like Nico wasn’t already aware of that.

“Hey yourself. Ready to go?” Jason said, pushing his fingers through his hair. Nico honestly couldn’t tell if he did that out of nervousness or to look sexy. Make that number one on the list of things Nico needed to learn about Jason: did the guy _realize_ how hot he could be? If all of this was unintentional, Nico knew he would simply die.

How could he figure out his true feelings with Jason being so distractingly good looking all the time?

“Yeah, I’m ready. Although, I seem to have forgotten a trick or treating basket, think Zoë’ll share?” He locked the door behind him, his hand shaking a little. If things went well, Jason could eventually become Nico’s boyfriend. His _boyfriend._ Imagine that.

Yet somehow, he didn’t feel quite as nervous as he’d thought he would.

Jason laughed out loud. “You’d have to be a wizard or an evil mastermind, or maybe both to get her to share. Remember her love for ice cream?”

“How could I forget?”

“Multiply it by ten,” Jason smirked.

“Oh gods,” Nico mused, already imagining the sugar rush. “I’m sure you let her eat as much candy as she wants, too. Zoë’s not the type to take no for an answer.”

“Neither is Thalia,” the blond added.

 _It really does run in the family, then,_ Nico thought. But this time, he found himself almost smiling at the thought. Someone who actively and persistently told Nico how interested he was in him was kind of nice, actually. Feeling wanted was nice. Refreshing.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood right now,” Jason noted, reaching out to open Nico’s car door and then stopping to look at him for confirmation. Nico smirked and let it happen. So annoyingly charming.

“I am in a good mood,” Nico decided. “For once.” Being with Jason now felt quite easy, even natural, when he wasn’t trying so hard to resist it

Jason’s smile turned Nico from a solid to a liquid. “Yeah, me too.”

“You’re always in a good mood, if you ask me,” Nico snorted.

“Excuse me, Mr. di Angelo, but I do believe we only just met yesterday, isn’t it a little soon to be making such assumptions?”

It was the first time Nico had ever heard Jason say his last name. Gods, he loved the way it sounded coming from his mouth, rolling off of his tongue.

_Holy shit you can ogle his obvious sexiness later, Nico. PRIORITIES._

“We’ll call it a hunch, then,” Nico declared, “Is it not accurate, Mr. Grace?” Okay, he couldn’t help himself. Sue him.

“Definitely not,” Jason half-laughed while pulling out of the parking lot. “I guess you put me in a good mood, it’s skewing your perspective on me!”

“Am I missing the part where you write dark angsty poetry about the folly of man?” He tried to ignore the warmth that pooled in his stomach about the good mood comment. Getting compliments was so foreign to him, and he doubted it was something he would get used to anytime soon.

“No, really. You should have seen me last year. I was always miserable and exhausted from studying too hard. And I turned into the social recluse, basically. I was in a pretty shitty mood for quite a few months then. Honest.”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, I think I know the feeling,” he mumbled. Then, wanting to change the subject: “But you should see my friend Percy. The one who threw the party. He’s the most stupidly positive person I’ve ever met. Up until this year, I don’t think he’d frowned more than twice in his life. And I’d know, I’ve been around for half of it.”

“Oh really? How long have you known each other?”

Nico briefly thought back to being in elementary school, being nine years old and meeting eleven year old Percy during recess at school. Back then, Nico had thought Percy was basically the most handsome and perfect boy in the whole world. It had taken years for him to shake those feelings.

“We go way back. He’s my oldest friend. Which is kind of funny I guess, considering how different we are.”

“Sometimes that’s a good thing though. People who are too similar don’t always get along.”

Nico thought of Alabaster, of _Bryce,_ and shivered. “Yeah, that’s true. I mean, Percy and I used to be a lot closer when we were younger. But then we went to different high schools. And I met Reyna.”

“Piper and my other best friend Leo have been best friends since high school, too,” Jason shared. “I’m jealous. I kind of lost touch with everyone from high school, no one I talked to ended up at a university even close to here. My ex actually ended up in Boston.”

“Oh,” Nico said, “Is this the same ex that your stepmother accidentally walked in on you with?”

Jason laughed. “Oh man, you remember me telling you that? Yeah, the same guy. He’s the only guy I dated in high school.”

“Really?” Nico’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you date him for all of high school, then?”

“Nah, just senior year.”

“I’m kind of surprised by that. I mean, you’re, you know…” He blushed.

Jason was smirking. He looked pretty pleased with himself, but thankfully didn’t ask Nico to complete his sentence. “Well what about you, then? You’re pretty, you know… too.”

Nico’s blush was blushing at this point. Why wasn’t it dark out yet? Nico needed to hide in the shadows. “Oh, it’s _way_ too early in the night for me to talk about my past dating life. Trust me.”

Jason pouted for a moment, but then let it slide. “Okay, then how about instead you tell me about your little sister. She looks nothing like you, is she from your father’s current marriage?”

“No, Persephone and my dad don’t have any kids together. My dad apparently had an affair with Hazel’s mom shortly after I was born, but we didn’t find out about Hazel until I was seven. It’s a long story.”

“Families are complicated,” Jason nodded. “Also, I don’t know if I can face your sister again.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. I mean, whatever you said, Hazel has probably heard worse things.”

“But I mentioned that we, um, had—”

“She already knew,” Nico admitted.

“Oh, oh gods. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse!” Jason exclaimed, laughing awkwardly.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Thalia’s house. Nico had never been in this neighborhood before. He was surprised that this place was home to a woman like Thalia Grace, as it all seemed very suburban. A cookie-cutter neighborhood. Normal. Nico imagined wildcards like Thalia living it up in loft apartments downtown. Not here, where there were front lawns to be watered and mailboxes in front of every house. The image of Thalia here, surrounded by soccer moms, stubbornly raising her daughter and ignoring anyone who dared look at them twice, did manage to bring a small smile to his face, though.

“Prepare to be accosted the second we walk through the door. Either by my sister, my Halloween crazed niece, or potentially both,” Jason warned as they stepped out of the car.

For some reason, the thought of actually having to face Jason’s older sister tonight hadn’t occurred to him. Shit, she probably knew the whole story, too. This was going to be mortifying. Maybe he should have just let Jason take him to dinner or something.

 

…

 

“Well well well,” Thalia greeted with a mischievous grin tugging at her lips as Jason and Nico walked through the door. “Nico, what brings you here?”

Well, Jason had warned the poor guy. If only his sister could have been gone before they arrived. Though, Jason wouldn’t have wanted Zoë left alone, and picking her up first would have meant getting no time alone with Nico until after the girl was asleep.

“Thals, don’t be annoying,” Jason grumbled while Nico stammered awkwardly.

“So, does that mean I can’t take pictures?” She teased, holding up her camera in suggestion.

Nico bit his lip and looked at his shoes, his cheeks burning red. He looked so damn kissable Jason wanted to drag him right back out the door and attack him. Although, he figured the dancer wouldn’t be too happy about that.

“I can’t tell if you’re messing with him or me,” Nico muttered.

Honestly, Jason wasn’t sure either. Knowing Thalia, it was probably both of them.

“Uncle Jason?!” A little voice called from down the hall. Quick footsteps pattered on the hardwood floor as the six year old came running, her dark hair flying out behind her. Jason grinned. This evening, the little girl looked more like a little woman, with a one-shoulder white gown belted at the waist and a sliver metal band of sorts circling her head to match. The toy bow clasped in her left hand made Jason think that the costume was Thalia approved, and perhaps even Thalia suggested.

“Oh my goodness! Mr. Nico! You’re here too?” Zoë squealed. “This is going to be the best Halloween EVER!” She threw her arms around Jason’s waist, which was about as high as she could reach.

“Hey, Zo,” Jason said, patting her head, “You’re the cutest Artemis I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks. Mommy helped me pick it out. It’s just like in the myths you told me.” She moved to hug Nico, which clearly surprised the other male. He let it happen, though.

“Happy Halloween, Zoë,” he told her.

“Are you and Uncle Jason friends now?” She asked, an innocent and irresistible look in her wide blue eyes.

Nico’s eyes moved to Jason, a hesitant smile warming his face. “Yeah, yeah we’re friends.”

“Yay! Yay yay yay yay!” She tore away from Nico, jumping up and down and dancing and cheering. “That means you can come get ice cream with us again!”

“Yeah, sounds fun!” Nico said, crouching to be eye level with the girl.

“Mr. Nico, you and Uncle Jason aren’t very dressed up for Halloween. Where is your costume?” She pouted.

“I’m… a skeleton,” Nico defended, holding up his shirt for her to see.

“Mommy is going to be a witch, but she doesn’t have her costume on yet.”

“Yes, I need to go get dressed, actually. I’m meeting a friend in an hour. Jay Jay, can I leave my precious daughter in yours and darling Nico’s care?”

“Yeah, we’ll take it from here, Thals. It’s about to be dark, anyway.” Plus, if she left, maybe Nico wouldn’t look so uncomfortable.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone now. You guys have fun. But not _too_ much fun, got it?” She pointed between Jason and Nico accusingly. “There’s a minor in your presence.” Then she sauntered down the hall.

“Thalia!” Jason half-whined half-groaned. He would definitely need to talk to her later before she scared poor Nico away.

“IS IT CANDY O’CLOCK YET?” Zoë fussed, taking up her earlier jump dance.

“Don’t you need some arrows for that bow first, Shorty?” Jason asked, looking down at her empty quiver.

“Oh! Right! They are in my room!” She started to race off, only to stop seven steps away and whip her head back to give Jason her six year old version of an evil glare. “And I am _not_ short.” She disappeared.

“Sorry about my sister,” Jason mumbled, turning to Nico once they were alone. To his honest surprise, Nico chuckled and smiled.

“It’s okay. That’s what siblings do, right? My older sister, Bianca, when we were kids she teased me relentlessly.”

“How did you get her to stop?” Jason rubbed his forehead.

“We just kind of grew up, and apart. She’s a lot more serious now,” Nico shrugged, suddenly looking a little melancholy. The second Zoë returned, however, so did his smile.

“I’m ready I’m ready I’m ready! Let’s gooooooo!”

“What do you say, Jay Jay?” Nico joked, “Ready to be a kid for the night?”

 _How can I act like a kid when you make me want to do very adult things to you?_ Jason thought, but it came out as “I’m always ready to be a kid.”

“YAAAAAAY!” Zoë hollered, oblivious to the flirty looks being exchanged between the two young men. Or at least, Jason hoped she was oblivious.

She wiggled between them, looping her candy bag over her shoulder and taking Jason’s hand in her left hand and Nico’s in her right.

Jason tried not to think of how much he wished he were the one holding Nico’s hand.

_All in good time._

First, he had to prove to Nico that he was worth bending all of the dancer’s rules about dating.

He only hoped that he actually was.

 

…

 

For the most part, trick-or-treating with Jason and Zoë was very easy. When they walked between houses, Zoë would chat happily about her candy winnings and other costumes on the street, and when she went up to the different houses, Jason and Nico watched her from the sidewalk and carried on their own conversations.

“So, I do believe it’s my turn to ask a question,” Jason declared about ten houses in. So far they’d already made it through embarrassing childhood stories—Jason apparently had a bad habit of getting knocked out—favorite books—Nico and Jason combined had read _Harry Potter_ nine times—and favorite days they’ve ever had—Jason’s happened over his senior trip to Greece, while Nico’s was the day he won first place at a statewide dance competition spring of sophomore year, before his life had started tumbling downhill.

“Ask away,” Nico told him, popping a Milk Dud into his mouth—apparently Zoë hated the things.

“Why did you and your older sister grow apart? Did something happen?”

Nico couldn’t help the small frown that tugged at his lips. It’s not that he had a problem talking about Bianca, and he knew that his family in general was something that Jason deserved to know about if they were ever to enter into a relationship. Still, Nico’s past wasn’t full of the happiest stories.

“It wasn’t one big event, really. We were inseparable when we were younger. We’d play together and joke around all the time. She and mom put up a big fight against my dad for me to start dance. But then our mom died when I was ten. Bianca was twelve.”

“Oh my God,” Jason said, a familiar flash of pain in his eyes. Nico remembered that he also had a stepmother, and wondered if perhaps he’d lost his mother too.

“Yeah, that’s a whole other story. But the point is, Bianca and I coped in different ways. After my mom died, Bianca wanted to grow up really quickly, I guess, and I couldn’t grow up fast enough for her. That was around the time I started to get closer with Hazel, and it was also around the time that Percy and I were becoming friends. Still, Bianca and I were decently close. I could still talk to her about anything.” When he’d lost his virginity, Bianca had been the only person in his family Nico had told, though Hazel had found out about it eventually.

“But then she started college. That same year that Reyna left for school, too. But the difference is, Reyna kept in touch. We talked all the time. Bianca… just didn’t, really. She had this new and exciting college life, and she didn’t have much time for my problems. She’s a senior at Georgetown now, and we maybe talk on the phone once every other month.”

Before Jason could say anything, Zoë came skipping back. “PIXY STIX! AND THEY ARE ALL MINE. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT STEALING ONE, UNCLE JASON.” Despite their efforts to limit her candy intake, Zoë was already on a major sugar high. Her little body could surely only handle so much candy before she slipped into a coma, right?

They moved on to the next house, and Jason and Nico continued their conversation silently.

 _I’m sorry about your sister,_ Jason mouthed. Nico shrugged it off.

 _I still have Hazel,_ he mouthed back. This made the blond give Nico a sort of _don’t remind me_ face while his cheeks darkened. Nico wondered if Jason would ever again hear his younger sister’s name without blushing. Assuming that Jason and Nico kept… talking? Being friends? Seeing each other?

Nico smirked at Jason, and Jason looked like he wanted to laugh, his face still charmingly red. “Are you two okay?” Zoë asked, tugging on Jason’s shirt. “You’re not talking! And you’re looking at each other all funny!”

“We’re planning on stealing all of your candy,” Nico joked, surprising both Zoë and Jason by sweeping the former off of her feet and spinning her around. The six year old laughed and squealed.

“No! You can’t have any! It’s my candy! If you want any you have to put on a costume and go get your own!” She said, still giggling as she was placed back on the ground.

Nico adjusted Zoë’s silver circlet and gave her head a few pats. “Okay, you win this time. But if you have any more Milk Duds, I call dibs.” They shook hands, and when Nico glanced up, he found Jason staring at him with the strangest look on his face.

 

…

 

Jason was biting his lip so hard, it was a miracle the damn thing hadn’t bled yet.

Nico di Angelo. Nico fucking di Angelo. Jason wanted to touch him. Not even just in a sexual way. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and squeeze him tight and hold his hand and cup his cheeks and a million other things.

He was so bright tonight. So present and alive. Jason nearly felt short of breath, and this time it wasn’t due to nervousness. Nico just seemed so… in his element. A fish in water. Not quite like when he was dancing—then he was like a whole school of fish—but more like when he was teaching his classes. He seemed so… comfortable.

 _It’s because he isn’t trying to push me away anymore. He’s letting whatever happens, happen._ It made Nico a lot more relaxed, more approachable, and because of that, Jason felt a lot more comfortable, too.

“You’re really great with kids,” he told the dancer as Zoë approached her next target— _house._

“I have a lot of experience from teaching, I guess. When I was younger, kids kind of freaked me out,” Nico admitted.

Jason understood how that felt. “You should have seen me when Zoë was first born. I was this panicked high schooler, constantly afraid of dropping her on her head.”

“Well, it sounds like you do have a lot of experience hitting your head, so maybe it was right of you to worry.”

“Hey,” Jason said, jokingly bumping Nico’s arm. “I’m offended.” He ignored the excitement that buzzed through his body after just the one second of touching Nico.

“Was Zoë’s dad… ever part of the picture?”

“I don’t even know who he was. I think Thalia knew who the father was, but she’s never told me one way or the other. I don’t think it’s her favorite topic. But I mean, someone gave her that cute little nose.”

Nico laughed. “I don’t know, she looks strongly like Thalia to me, and kind of like you, actually.”

“Yeah, she has that Grace black hair. I’m a blond abomination,” he chuckled.

“I like the blond,” Nico confessed, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“Oh yeah, you have a thing for blonds?”

For a moment, Nico’s good mood dropped. “Apparently I do,” he mumbled. Then, as if springing back to life, he said “You’re a lot more normal tonight. Or at least, how I imagined normal you would be from the few glimpses I had. You’re not as awkward and uncertain while you’re talking.”

“Well,” Jason said, thinking back to his earlier musings, “It’s a lot easier to talk to you when I’m not constantly worried you’re going to run away…”

It was Nico’s turn to blush now. Jason figured they must have been exchanging redness all night, sometimes sharing it between the two of them and ending up with a milder pink.

Zoë returned and they went on to the next house, a sort of tension dangling in the air between the two guys, but not in a bad way. If there was such a thing as good tension, this was definitely it. Jason felt his heartbeat in his stomach.

Gods, Jason may not have been able to embrace his inner child, but he was sure as hell channeling seventeen tonight. Nico sent him right back to his teenage years. And Jason kind of loved it. He loved how Nico drove him crazy like this. It was what living ought to feel like.

“I’ve got to know, why only one high school boyfriend? Why just senior year?” Nico looked up at the blond expectantly.

“Well, at first, it’s because I was afraid to come out as gay. The only person who knew for the longest time was Thalia. I decided dating would just be easier once I was in college. That’s not to say I didn’t kiss a few guys through the years, though. Then, senior year, there was this guy in yearbook with me, Malcolm. He moved to my school junior year, but I didn’t really notice him at first. Then he started to show some interest in me, and he was really sweet about it. He was kind of shy, but cute, too. So I decided to just ask him out, simply because I could see how hard he was trying in his own way to get my attention. And I ended up liking him a lot more than I thought I would. We probably would have stayed together longer, if it weren’t for college.”

When Jason looked at Nico, he couldn’t decipher his facial expression. He looked suddenly closed off, despite the fact that he’d been the one to ask the question in the first place. It was like, whether he wanted to or not, the topic of dating always unsettled him in some mild way.

One house later, and it was Jason’s turn to ask a question again. “So, is it too soon to ask why you are so anti-relationship?

Nico tensed, as expected. “I was wondering when you’d get the courage to bring it up,” he muttered. “I know I owe you an explanation, but this isn’t exactly the time or the place for it. But I will tell you some of the basics I guess. I’ve slept with three guys in my life—” his eyes cut to Jason, “well, four. But I’m not counting you right now. Out of those three guys, I only actually dated one of them. He was a huge fucking asshole. The guy I lost my virginity to wasn’t much better. Really, the only positive sexual experience was last year when Will and I had sex, and the only reason it’s positive is because I didn’t hate him afterwards.”

Jason would get to the rest of what Nico had said later, but at the minute his mind could really only process the last part. “You had sex with Will? Laid back yoga loving Will? At your apartment earlier Will?” Jason tried not to sound like a territorial douchebag, but the thought of Nico fucking a guy who Jason actually had to see and interact with definitely wasn’t an ideal situation. Did Will still have feelings for Nico? Hell, who wouldn’t?

Nico actually laughed, quickly dismissing half of Jason’s worries. “We kind of had crushes on each other last fall, and one night we got really drunk and then we had sex. Drunken sex. And then when we sobered up the next morning we realized we were definitely more interested in each other as friends, and that’s all we are. In fact, he’s more interested in sleeping with you than he is with me, so you don’t need to look all jealous of him.”

“I’m not jealous,” Jason said, which was only half true. And then, “That is really the only positive experience out of the three? Drunk sex?”

“I guess now you have a small taste of why I am not huge on dating. I mean, that was eleven months ago. And before that it had been ten months.”

Sex once in almost two years. If it hadn’t been for Jason, how much longer would the poor sexually deprived guy have gone? Two more?

“I’m sorry about the boyfriend thing. That… man, that sounds really terrible.”

“Don’t you just love Halloween?” Zoë sang, dancing over to them with a bright smile on her face. “I have enough candy to last… almost a week!” She said, investigating her overflowing canvas bag.

Jason and Nico laughed.

A few houses later, another thought occurred to Jason, and he just couldn’t help but voice it. “So, if you weren’t counting me before, then does that mean when you and I had—”

“Now now, Jason Grace,” Nico tsked, “I do believe we agreed to wipe the slate clean, and as such I have _no_ idea what encounter you could be referring to.” Despite his words, however, Jason noted that his face had possession of all the rosy coloring they’d been sharing that night.

 _Yeah, it was great for me, too._ He said, but only with his eyes.

A mischievous grin tugged at the corner of Nico’s mouth.

 

…

 

“But—but—I don’t want to go to bed,” Zoë protested, yawning hugely. “It’s only nine-thirty.”

Nico watched, leaning against the six year old’s bedroom door, as Jason tucked the now exhausted Zoë into bed.

“Sure you aren’t, Zo,” Jason chuckled, “That’s why you’re yawning so much.”

“What?” Zoë asked, even as the word was interrupted by yet another yawn. “I am wide awake. I want to stay up with you and Mr. Nico.”

“We’re pretty tired, too, Zoë,” Nico lied. “Once you go to bed, we might sleep too until your mom gets home. It’s very late.”

Zoë sighed. “Fine. Uncle Jason, can you go find Bessie? She’s in mommy’s room.”

“Of course, Shorty. Be right back. Nico, uh, I mean Mr. Nico, will stay in here with you, okay?”

Zoë nodded. Jason exchanged a somewhat flirty glance with Nico as he exited the room. Shit, those eyes really were something. Certainly better than Octavian’s dull blue color.

“I know you’re not really tired,” Zoë told Nico once they were alone. “But it’s okay. I’ll go to sleep anyway.”

“Really?” Nico raised his eyebrows and moved closer to the bed. “And how come?”

“Because you and Uncle Jason will probably want to talk or whatever grown ups do.”

“Yeah, is that what grown ups do?”

Zoë nodded. “Also, I don’t know if you know, but Uncle Jason has a crush on you. He told me that before.”

Nico’s eyebrows practically crawled into his hairline. _“Really?”_

“Uh huh, and he talks to mommy about it sometimes.”

Nico wasn’t sure what to say. It’s not that he didn’t know where Jason’s feelings were, but hearing it so plainly from a first grader was more than a little jarring. She sounded so casual about it.

“Do you have a crush on him, too?” She asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Jason returned to the room. “One stuffed cow for Zoë Grace,” he declared, coming to stand by Nico and handing the stuffed animal to the girl. She smiled and hugged the animal in her arms.

“Okay, now I’m ready.”

Jason tucked her in, kissed her head, and said goodnight. Nico told her goodnight as well, brushing some hair from the young girl’s face.

“Yes, I do,” he whispered in her ear. She smiled massively, then Jason turned out the light.

 

…

 

Watching a movie on the couch turned out to be a lot harder than Jason had imagined. They had more or less dropped the pretext of paying attention, and had since gone back to talking, but that didn’t change the fact that Nico was less than a foot away from Jason, turned to face him, and they were sitting on a couch.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have this conversation with Nico in his arms, or even just holding his hand. Jason was a very affectionate guy, he couldn’t help it. Nico di Angelo, close enough to touch but still out of reach… Jason couldn’t risk doing anything that Nico wasn’t comfortable with. He would respect his boundaries even if it killed him. Hopefully though, they wouldn’t kill him. Jason would very much like to live to see the day where Nico could be completely open with him, completely open to him, completely certain about him.

_So don’t ruin your chance._

“I was just an infant when we moved to the United States from Italy. We lived in Washington DC until I was three, then Vegas for a year, and then finally California.”

“I didn’t realize you were born in Italy,” Jason would _not_ think about the very real possibility that Nico spoke Italian, for his own sanity really. Nico didn’t need to be any hotter than he already was. “That’s really interesting. Do you wish you had grown up there?”

“Not really,” Nico declared after a moment of thought. “I mean, visiting is great but it’s definitely a lot more homophobic than California. And I am a _glaring_ homosexual so…”

Jason gave a half-laugh. “Same here. For a while I tried to convince myself I was bisexual, until I actually kissed a few girls. Felt absolutely nothing. Not to diss bi people, I have huge respect for that community, I am just most definitely not a part of it.”

“No, clearly you just go after moody short guys nowadays.”

“And look at my success rate,” Jason said, feeling a little more flirty and a little more confident than earlier.

Nico shrugged in the cutest way. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep taking you out and hope we end up on the same page at some point,” Jason decided, inching closer to the dark haired male.

“I could be okay with that,” Nico replied, his eyes locking with Jason’s.

 _Don’t kiss him, don’t kiss him,_ Jason chanted to himself.

“The woman of the house has returned!” Thalia declared, throwing open the front door with her hand thrown over her eyes. “Everyone decent?”

Mortification washed away desire. “Of course we are decent! Nothing is happening!” He complained loudly, rubbing his forehead.

His sister uncovered her eyes, but upon seeing Jason and Nico on the couch, she didn’t appear to be all that convinced. “Well, if you say so. It doesn’t look that way, but… if you say so.”

“This is why Cecil was afraid of you, Thalia,” Jason sighed, rising from the couch. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

“I’m not drunk enough, but other than that I had fun. And you two? Nico, did you have a good time?”

Nico nervously brushed his fingers through his hair. Jason had to tear his eyes away from the younger male as he did so. He couldn’t help but imagine those were his fingers. “I mean, probably not as good of a time as your daughter. If she doesn’t wake up in the morning, I’d assume full-on candy coma and call the ambulance.”

The three of them laughed, and then Jason and Nico headed back to Jason’s car.

“Who’s Cecil?” Nico asked as Jason opened his car door. Nico had given his blessing earlier, so Jason figured he would just continue doing it.

For a moment, Jason was surprised at the name. Then, thinking of his earlier comment to Thalia, he remembered that he’d been the one to bring him up.

“He was my second boyfriend,” Jason informed him, getting into the car himself. “We dated for thirteen months around my sophomore year of college. It was a little more serious than Malcolm, but it didn’t work out in the end.”

Nico nodded, and Jason couldn’t quite imagine what was going through his mind. Did it hurt him, that Jason had been in two serious, mostly positive relationships and his only one had not gone well? Technically, Jason _was_ a few years older, so there was no reason Nico would feel pressured to have the same amount of dating experience, right? He doubted there was any romantic jealousy, as Nico’s romantic attraction for Jason was still in question.

He didn’t say anything else about it, so Jason never got his answer.

The rest of the ride home was spent debating what the best couple—real or made up—was in in the Harry Potter series.

“Okay but if you had to choose, James and Lily or Remus and Sirius?” Nico inquired.

“I can’t choose! They were both pretty in love if you ask me.”

Nico laughed. “Remus and Sirius is the first non-canon pairing you’ve talked about so far.”

“Well, I like how Rowling wrote everything,” Jason defended, pulled in by the smile on Nico’s lips.

“What a fanboy,” he teased. “But I still stand by Neville and Luna actually getting married. And gay Harry. Or at least bi Harry.”

“Okay, I can’t really argue with you there,” Jason said. They had gotten out of the car and were fast approaching the front door of Nico’s building. Part of Jason wanted to walk Nico all the way back up to his apartment, but he figured resisting him would be a lot easier down here. This parting would be far more casual.

Still, he found himself taking two steps back so he wouldn’t kiss Nico right then and there. “Well, I’ll see you later, I guess.”

“What’s with the stepping?” Nico asked, inclining a single brow at the blond.

“It’s so I won’t try to kiss you,” Jason admitted, meeting Nico’s eyes in shy embarrassment.

“Oh,” Nico looked suddenly flustered. Then, in a what felt like only a second of time, he shot forwards and pressed the briefest, most chaste of kisses to Jason’s lips. Two pairs of lips meeting for only a heartbeat. He stumbled backwards while Jason tried to process what had just happened.

“Well, goodnight,” Nico squeaked, already scurrying off.

“That,” Jason stated, stopping Nico in his tracks as he reached for the door, “Should have been our first kiss.”

Nico turned around, a pleased smile on his face. “It was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my lovelies, in case you noticed, this is a second consecutive WYLEI update with no Murder Suspect breaking it up. That is because the next two chapters of Murder Suspect, I must write and update back to back. So now I ask you all to be patient and allow me to write and publish those to chapters before I return to this story to write Chapter 8. And trust me, if you read MS, you'll be thanking me for not making the wait that will come between the next two chapters extra long. hehehe.
> 
> As always, your comments and positive words give me the strength to do what I do. Thank you all.


	8. Relationship Pending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK! Sorry for the fucking long wait for this one. As you may remember, I updated The Murder Suspect twice in a row before coming back to this. And then when I finally got back to this story, Jason and Nico were mad at me and were being difficult when I was trying to write them. All in all, though, I am happy with how this chapter ended up. I hope you guys will like it too! I love my patient, wonderful, readers :)
> 
> Also, this chapter is specially published today for two good friends of mine! Happy Birthday Diane and Happy (slightly belated) Birthday SonOfHades!!! My crazy little internet family.

Nico woke up the morning after Halloween in a great mood.

It lasted about ten minutes.

“You know what day it is, kid,” Reyna reminded, poking her head through the door with a wicked smile on her face.

 _Oh no._ Friend breakfast.

“You want to feed me to the wolves, don’t you?” Nico groaned, burying his face in his pillow. “Also, I’m nearly twenty years old, you can’t ‘kid’ me.”

“By wolves, do you mean your best friends who want to hear about your new boyfriend?”

Nico glared at her. “Sorry, not your boyfriend. Your new _potential_ boyfriend. I need to know if I should be kicking this guy’s ass. I can’t believe I haven’t even met him yet.”

_“What’s with the stepping?”_

_“It’s so I won’t try to kiss you.”_

Warmth rose to Nico’s cheeks. Jason Grace, not quite a Casanova, but charming enough to make Nico blush just at the thought of him. _I like Jason Grace,_ he let the thought float around his mind again. It was just as true as it had been the day before.

“You don’t need to kick his ass,” he murmured into the pillow.

“Good. Do I need to kick yours?”

He imagined her raising her eyebrow at him. The Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano disapproving look.

“No, I’m getting up,” Nico grumbled, forcing himself out of bed. “But if the wolves we call friends so much as start gnawing on my foot—”

“I’ll keep them at bay,” Reyna laughed. “Just get dressed.”

 

…

 

“Well, you’re not limping,” Eros said in greeting. “Either this Jason boy is bad in bed or you had a boring night.”

Nico rolled his eyes. Eros’s idea of a good time always involved sex. Based off of the fact that he was seated beside Luke this morning, Nico had a pretty strong idea of who his most recent “good time” had been with. The on-again-off-again relationship had been on for almost three days now. Practically a record.

“You can have a good time without sex, you know,” Nico remarked, sliding into the empty seat beside his sister, who looked uncomfortable with the new topic of conversation. That made two of them.

“Oh, come on, we all know Eros only has one thing on his mind,” Will snorted, gently hitting his friend with his chemistry book. “And it’s the second hottest blond at the table.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. Odds were, the latest hookup between Eros and Luke had taken place in Eros and Will’s shared apartment. Nico was glad he’d decided to live with Reyna. “Says the guy who is only having sex with his textbook.”

“I resent that,” Will replied. “But seriously, how did it go, Neeks?”

“Well, not that it is anyone’s business,” he said sharply, “But I had a nice night. Don’t expect any dirty details though, we literally took a six year old trick or treating. That’s all there is to it.” Not quite true, but the sexual menaces across the table didn’t need to know about one chaste little kiss. They didn’t _need_ to know about anything regarding Jason and Nico’s… friendship? Flirtationship? Were they “talking?”

“Are you going to see him again?” Frank asked, to Nico’s relative surprise. Frank rarely asked anything. Hell, Frank rarely spoke during breakfast in general, being the shiest of the group.

“Yeah, I’m still getting to know him.”

“You already know what’s in his pants, what else is there?” Luke remarked.

“I swear, we need to muzzle him in public,” Reyna sighed. “Where is Annabeth when you need her?”

Annabeth’s name sparked interest in Percy, and Nico let himself relax as the conversation slipped away from his relationship with Jason to other subjects.

For about fifteen merciful minutes.

 

…

 

Leo and Piper decided that Sunday would be a movie day. They just forgot to tell Jason until they were literally at his door. “Surprise!” Piper smiled, holding up a small stack of DVDs, “You love us.”

“Let me guess, you want to hear all about my date.”

“So it _was_ a date,” Piper smirked. “That means it went well, right?”

“I’m going to make popcorn,” Leo shrugged. “Spare me the mushy details.”

Jason and Piper moved to the living room. “I didn’t totally blow it, so that’s good. He even kissed me at the end of the night. A really tame kiss, but I’ll take it.”

“You like him a lot,” Piper smiled.

“I like him a _lot,_ ” Jason confirmed.

“Then hopefully we’ll get to meet him soon. You should bring him around, we don’t bite.”

“I’m trying to get him to like me, I can’t worry about my crazy best friends yet,” Jason joked.

“He likes you,” Piper declared, plopping down on the couch. Piper liked to say everything as if it were hard fact. Usually, with Piper, it was.

“And how do you know that?” He humored, taking the spot beside her.

“Because you’re Jason Fucking Grace,” she told him, “And by now Nico has surely realized how special you are.”

“Ugh, you sound like a mom,” Jason snorted, but he was fighting back a smile, and Piper knew it. Piper knew everything.

 

…

 

Nico buzzed with excitement all through Tuesday’s dance lessons. It may or may not have had to do with the fact that Jason had texted Nico that morning asking if it would be okay for him to stay to watch Zoë’s dance lessons again.

Okay, that definitely had to do with it.

He glanced at Zoë Grace, then to the two-way mirror lining the far wall. Jason could be watching him right now. In the mirror’s reflection, he caught Zoë grinning smugly at his back. Who even knew that six year olds were capable of looking so smug?

“Mr. Nico,” a seven year old girl named Phoebe chimed, “What’s the next step?”

“Right, right,” Nico shook his head, chiding himself for being so distracted. “I’ll show you.”

He taught the next part of the routine to the girls. As they practiced it, Nico allowed his mind to wander once more. He and Jason had texted frequently these last few days, but the thought of actually seeing the blond had Nico both anxious and excited. Sure, Nico still meant what he said about starting over and trying to really get to know the blond, but his heart seemed to be on a totally different wavelength—wasn’t it always?

He almost wished Jason wasn’t watching, though. Just magically appearing at the end of the lesson would be a lot easier for Nico. Jason seemed to like watching Nico dance, which embarrassed him to no end. When he danced, Nico stepped into another body, another Nico. But having people he knew—people who knew the regular Nico—watch him made Nico feel bare, vulnerable. It was a merging of both Nicos, and he had never quite become comfortable with that idea. Least of all with Jason, who he was only barely coming to know, and who had seen both sides from day one.

 

…

 

Jason couldn’t help but grin like an idiot when Nico finally ended class. He’d been more than a little eager to see Nico again, even if only for this short period of time following Zoë’s dance lesson. For the first time, Jason actually felt his presence was welcome. Nico had allowed Jason to come and watch. Nico had allowed him to watch after going on a date. Nico had allowed him to watch after kissing him.

So yeah, Jason’s smile was 110% idiotic as Nico came through the door, following the dozen or so lively chattering girls. “Uncle Jason!” Zoë chirped from the back of the procession—closest to Nico. “Did you see Mr. Nico teach us part of the new dance! It’s going to be in the recital in December which you _promised_ to come to.”

“Of course I’ll be there, Zo.” He scooped the girl up into his arms and she laughed. Then, “Nico,” he acknowledged, trying and undoubtedly failing to look cool.

“Jason,” Nico replied in a soft, warm voice. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I guess I’m just _really_ interested. You know, in dancing.”

Nico pushed a lock of dark hair away from his face. “You must be, to sit through all of these lessons.”

“I might be a little interested in dancers, too.”

“More than one?” He playfully raised a brow at the blond. It was so damn endearing.

_Nico is definitely flirting with me. Score._

Jason chuckled. “You caught me. I have like six other dance classes to sit in on this week.” He placed Zoë back on her feet so she could go retrieve her things.

“Sure you do,” Nico smirked.

“I was maybe going to take Zoë for ice cream, I don’t suppose you want to come?”

“I can’t,” Nico said, and to Jason’s delight he actually sounded bummed about that fact. “I really need to practice. I have my own recital in just over two weeks.”

“Oh, yeah, I totally get it,” Jason nodded, swallowing his disappointment. He understood that Nico had a pretty busy schedule, but that didn’t make Jason’s desire to spend time with the guy any weaker.

“But,” Nico tacked on, flooding Jason’s heart with hope. “Friday, I can probably be out of here by like… seven-thirty. If you maybe wanted to—”

“Yes,” Jason blurted.

Nico smirked. “I didn’t even finish my suggestion.”

“If it involves seeing you,” Jason told him, “Then my answer is definitely yes.”

Nico’s responding smile was so automatic, so wide, so absolutely instinctual, that he slapped his hand over his mouth to cover it. Jason wanted to rip that hand away and kiss him senseless.

“Okay, well, I should go practice.” He’d lowered his hand in favor of biting down on the smile to contain it. It wasn’t any less adorable. Nico’s lips had Jason captivated.

“You should,” Jason agreed, knowing that kissing a guy who he wasn’t technically dating senseless in front of a bunch of little girls and their mothers wouldn’t be appropriate. “I’ll text you later?”

“You should,” Nico replied, scratching his head and blushing irresistibly as he turned and disappeared back into the dance room.

Jason was glad that the windows didn’t show both ways, because the little wiggle of joy Jason did once the dancer was gone was not attractive at all.

Like, not _at all._

…

 

Jason was eleven pages deep in his Latin reading that night when his phone buzzed with a text. _Don’t get too excited,_ he reminded himself, _it might be Thalia. Or Piper. Or Leo. Or even Beckendorf from Greek Culture Studies._

**Hey :)**

It was Nico. Jason shoved his Latin Lit book to the side. Nico di Angelo just sent him a fucking smiley face. Oh gods.

 ** _Done rehearsing already? Slacker ;)_** In reality, it was after ten o’clock at night. Jason wondered how Nico’s feet weren’t bleeding 24/7. The guy danced like it was easier than breathing.

**I guess I could just make up for it by rehearsing all night Friday instead of seeing you!!! >:)**

Jason typed back so quickly it was a wonder there were no typos. **_And by that I mean, wow you are so dedicated and definitely in need of a break._** He rose from his desk and flopped down onto his bed. Nico had slept on this mattress before. Jason wished he would do it again—without angrily barging out the next morning, of course.

 **Hmm, maybe you’re right,** Nico replied. Another text followed immediately after. **So, we didn’t actually decide the plan for Friday night. What do you want to do? NOTHING DIRTY!**

Jason laughed out loud. He could imagine Nico’s face as he’d typed the last sentence. **_Now Nico, I only just met you. What kind of pervert do you take me for?_** He pressed send and immediately began typing out another message. Nico had double texted first, which meant it was okay if Jason did the same, right? **_It really doesn’t matter, like I said. I’m flexible._**

**So am I ;)**

Jason’s mouth fell open. Was Nico implying…?

**OH MY GOD, SORRY! THAT WAS MY FRIEND EROS! HE IS OVER HERE STUDYING.**

**_It’s okay. I’m sure my friends would do the same kind of shit._** Jason was actually kind of relieved that hadn’t been Nico, as he had no idea what he would have said to such implications. Just the thought of it made him feel hot. Jason thought before typing more. He wanted whatever they did Friday to be more intimate than taking Zoë trick or treating, but he also didn’t want to make it so romantic that Nico was scared off. **_It sounded like you had an idea for Friday back at the studio._**

**Yeah, sex. Lots of sex. In bed. Against walls. In the dance studio. In a car. On top of a car.**

Jason laughed rolled over on the bed, happy that no one could see his face right then. **_Hi Eros._**

**Oh my fucking—I am so sorry about him. He’s a master phone thief. … I was just going to suggest getting food. I’ll probably be hungry after dance. And then we could like… idk see a movie? I haven’t seen a movie in a while.**

_This is such a date,_ Jason thought to himself. Nico had just described the most date-like date to ever date. Jason practically shivered in excitement.

 ** _Me either, sounds good. Can’t wait!_** Wow, Jason sounded way too enthusiastic. Twenty-two years old and this excited about a completely typical date. Shameful.

**Great! But don’t dress too nicely. Your hotness is annoying!**

Yeah, that wasn’t Jason just imagining he felt hot. He was definitely blushing. **_Eros again?_** He inquired.

**Nah, you really are just ANNOYINGLY attractive and it needs to stop.**

Jason smiled brightly at the ceiling. He wanted it to be Friday _right now._ Or at least Thursday. He wanted to see Nico like he wanted sleep in the middle of finals week—desperately.

**_I’ll try my best. Lol. But then you have to stop, too! Here I am… trying to be appropriate. Jesus._ **

**:) :) :) I’ll try my best?**

**_Good,_** Jason wrote, knowing he wouldn’t be returning to his Latin reading for a long, long time.

 

…

 

Shortly after eight o’clock that Friday night, Jason leaned against the hood of his car and waited for Nico to come down from his apartment. Jason had wanted to go pick him up right from the door, but Nico had explained that his roommate Reyna was there and “She would probably try to interview you for an hour before she’d let us leave.”

Jason shook with excitement. Nico had already texted to say he was on his way down. In just a minute, he would see him again. Thursday, after the dance lesson, Nico had stopped to talk to Jason for nearly ten whole minutes. It had been awesome, until Zoë whined about how bored she was and how “grown ups talk _so much_ ” and Jason had mercifully taken her home. In total, Jason and Nico had only seen each other for about thirteen minutes in the last week, which would have sucked a lot more if they hadn’t been texting every day. Texting _a lot_ every day.

God, Jason wanted this to work out. He wanted to take Nico out tonight and have a great time, and hopefully get to kiss him again, and he wanted Nico to be his boyfriend. Well, he knew the last part definitely wouldn’t be happening tonight, but he hoped the possibility of being in a real relationship in the future remained on the table. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so into a guy. Cecil? Had Jason been this smitten before he and Cecil had started dating? He wasn’t sure.

Before Jason could muse on it more, Nico appeared. He looked a way that begged to be kissed—or at least hugged—swimming in a black cardigan that stood in contrast to the tightness of his jeans. His shirt, Jason noticed with pleasure, was dark red. Colors suited Nico, no matter how dark and muted. He started toward the dancer, an inner warmth threatening to spill over into a childlike smile. How could someone so incredibly sexy also be so incredibly cute?

“Hey,” Jason said, holding up a hand in greeting.

Nico’s lips were downturned. “I told you _not_ to look hot,” he complained. Then he smirked, to let Jason know that he was only mildly agitated.

“I’m dressed normally!” Jason defended, indicating his pullover sweater and jeans. He’d even had Piper approve the look.

Nico rolled his eyes lightheartedly. “Lucky for you, I’m too hungry to argue. Now, I believe you suggested Chinese?”

“I believe I did,” Jason confirmed, flashing Nico what he hoped was a charming smile as he opened the passenger door for the dark haired male. “And I’ll have you know, you also said you would also try not to be so good looking… so we are both made liars, here.”

Though the sun had long set, Jason saw Nico’s blush as he slid into the vehicle. “If you say so.”

The drive to dinner was filled with easy conversation. Nico talked about rehearsing for his recital and laughed as Jason told a story about Zoë from the previous evening.

Nico laughed a lot in general. Jason didn’t think he was actually that funny, but if Nico thought so, that was enough. Jason loved the sound of the dancer’s laugh. It was the least controlled thing about him, a wild, carefree sound that made Nico seem younger. Happier.

“So,” he asked as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. “This Eros guy—”

“Oh God, I’m so sorry again. He’s a pain.”

“No don’t worry, it was kind of funny. I just wanted to know how you two became friends. He seems… interesting.”

He got out of the car and dashed around to open Nico’s door, only to find that Nico already had. “I’m not going to just awkwardly sit and wait for you to open my door all the time,” he said with a smirk.

“I like doing it,” Jason informed him, shutting the door instead.

“Well anyway, to answer your question, we lived in the same building last year. He and his roommate Jake were right down the hall from me and Will.”

Jason nearly tripped over his own feet. “Your roommate last year was _Will?_ ” So the last guy Nico had slept with was also a guy he’d spent eight months living with? THAT WAS COOL. THAT WAS GREAT. WONDERFUL. WHY WOULD JASON HAVE ANY REASON TO WORRY ABOUT—

Nico chuckled. “Jason Grace, are you internally panicking?”

 _Busted._ “Pshh, no. Not at all. Maybe.”

“You’re actually a dork, you know?”

Jason sighed. “I’ve heard.”

“Well, we’ve already been over the Will situation, so I don’t feel like I need to explain that again. But anyway, back to Eros. We’re both dance majors, so we shared a few classes together both semesters. He’s here from France, so he knew no one in the states when freshman year started. He became friends with me and then Will by association, and from there he wiggled his way into my friend group.”

“ _Oh,_ ” Jason said, suddenly realizing that he knew the boy Nico spoke of. “He was the one who interrupted us the night of the art show, wasn’t he? To come get you.”

“Oh yeah,” Nico perked up. “I’d completely forgotten about that.”

A hostess seated them at a booth near the back of the restaurant. They sat across from each other, and Jason mused to himself how he wished the table didn’t create such a division between them. He wanted to be closer to Nico, to spend all of his time existing in the space so close to him that their body heat was shared and their breaths mingled together.

“Speaking of last Friday,” Nico added, leaning slightly closer to Jason, “You never actually explained what you were doing at the art exhibit. I mean, since you weren’t stalking me.”

“One of my best friends Leo was trying to sort things out with a… lady friend,” Jason explained, unsure what to call Leo and Rachel’s relationship. Apparently Jason wasn’t the only one floating around in an uncertain middle ground. “Piper and I were moral support. Or well, Piper was moral support. I was kind of useless.”

Nico’s responding smile seemed to mock Jason. “Love advice not your forte or something?”

Jason snorted. “Yeah, no. That’s Piper’s realm.”

“How long have you and Piper known each other?”

“My sophomore year, her freshman year. She ended up in a dorm that was usually only for second and third year students. Well, she didn’t end up, she fought to be there. Piper can be pretty persuasive. And then I met Leo through her. They were high school friends. Like you and your best friends, right?”

Nico shrugged. “Reyna is really my only best friend. Percy and I are just old friends. His best friend is this guy named Luke.”

Jason had to admit, the size of Nico’s friend group surprised him. How could this dancer, who seemed to want nothing to do with anyone, have so many more friends than Jason?

Well, looking back over the last two years, maybe Jason seemed to want nothing to do with anyone, ether. He’d certainly had more friends in his earlier years of university. Dakota—his old roommate—and Gwen and Lou Ellen and Cecil. Okay, maybe Cecil didn’t count.

“You just got a very thoughtful look on your face,” Nico noted.

 _Oh, it’s nothing, I was just thinking about my ex-boyfriend._ “You got me thinking about people I used to hang out with,” he said instead.

“Oh.” Nico shifted in his seat, “You know what I am thinking about right now?”

“What?”

“It’s pretty heavy, so don’t freak out.”

Jason tensed, his stomach twisting. “What is it?”

“Wanton soup,” Nico said with absolute seriousness.

Jason burst out laughing.

He didn’t think about his old friends for the rest of dinner.

 

…

 

Nico was having such a good time he was practically suspicious. Things never went this well. When things seemed good, that was when life always pulled the rug out from under Nico’s feet. And yet…

Yet Nico wanted to believe that maybe this time things wouldn’t go to shit. Optimism, what a scary concept. But what reasons had Jason given Nico to be concerned? Jason was… disturbingly close to perfect. Gorgeous, nice to everyone, witty, smart, considerate, understanding, fun to be around, fucking _gorgeous._ It was really worth mentioning twice. Jason could have been a model. An Abercrombie model. A Calvin Klein model. Nico didn’t even know. Whatever models were the hottest.

Nico had received attention from hot guys before, though. It had rarely worked out for him.

So he was optimistic, sure. But he wasn’t going to let himself fall blindly.

Nico glanced Jason’s way to find the blond staring at him. An embarrassed smile took over his face. “Oops, busted,” Jason said. Nico’s heart did a weird little flip thing at the sight of him, blushing and so handsome.

Well… he was going to try his damn hardest.

 

…

 

If the evil sideways glares from the elderly woman three seats down were anything to go by, Jason and Nico were whispering too loudly.

“Same,” Jason breathed in Nico’s ear after the character in the movie embarrassingly tripped. Nico leaned close so his face was practically buried in Jason’s neck and proceeded to giggle uncontrollably.

Oh yeah, the old lady definitely hated them. _Forgive me, Miss, I’m trying to get a boyfriend._

They’d been in the movie for about an hour so far, and at some point, Nico had moved up the arm rest between them so Jason and Nico could sit closer together. Their arms rested against each other, creating an extreme temperature difference between Jason’s right and left sides. Jason’s skin caught fire every place the two of them touched. Especially in the popcorn bag, where their hands would inevitably sometimes meet.

“If we get kicked out of this movie theater, I’m blaming you,” Nico informed Jason, glancing up at him through his dark lashes. Jason melted into his seat a little. So close. So close. So close. Jason wanted to kiss him so badly. He forced himself to think of something else, so as not to do anything that would make Nico uncomfortable.

“You’re the one who went on a three minute rant about how unrealistic you thought everything is,” Jason reminded, gently flicking Nico’s hand in the popcorn bag. Nico narrowed his eyes and flicked back. The popcorn bag slipped and spilled its remains across the cement floor.

“Now look what you did,” Jason teased. Nico stuck out his tongue, which really wasn’t helping the whole ‘trying not to kiss the guy who is afraid of going too fast’ situation.

After a minute, Jason realized that his and Nico’s hands were still together, the palm of Nico’s hand awkwardly resting by Jason’s wrist. Jason swallowed hard. _Yup, I definitely feel like I’m in high school,_ he mused as he casually slipped his hand into Nico’s and properly intertwined their fingers. The two shared a hesitant, embarrassed look, but Nico said nothing. Nico bit his lip and averted his eyes.

_Absolutely beautiful._

“In case the lady three seats down literally kills us, you should know that I am so happy that tonight happened,” Jason whispered, forgetting that they were supposed to be discussing the movie.

“I am too,” Nico admitted, shyly squeezing Jason’s hand. “But I’d be more worried about the couple two rows back. The guy looks like he could beat you up, and that’s saying something.”

They both did a subtle check over their shoulders at said couple, and Jason swallowed hard. The guy was a literal brick wall.

For the rest of the movie, Jason and Nico communicated solely through their hands.

And Jason supposed there were worse ways to have a conversation with Nico di Angelo.

 

…

 

When the movie ended and Nico and Jason returned to the car, Nico found himself having to swallow his own disappointment. Now Jason would take Nico home, and the night would be over. His time with Jason would be over.

Realistically, Nico knew this was how it had to be. It was after midnight, and if the date—yes, Nico would definitely call it a date—went any later into the night, Nico knew he would be tempted to take things further than intended. He and Jason had both worked hard to get to their current state, and Nico couldn’t risk ruining what they had.

“You know,” he said, not wanting to waste the ride home by sitting in silence, “I almost forgot what it was like to just go see a movie. It was fun.”

“You ranted about clichés every ten minutes,” Jason teased.

“Eh, it was a long movie. Lots of clichés to be pointed out. Besides, I didn’t say I loved the movie, I said I had fun.” _Because you were with me. That made all the difference._

“Fair.” Jason paused briefly. “You know, I get the feeling that relaxation is not a word in your dictionary. Or rest.”

Nico mulled over that for a moment. Many times over the years people had noted Nico’s tenacity both with distaste and awe. Jason seemed to express neither emotion, but rather stated the fact as if it was as much a part of Nico as his limbs. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t find rest and relaxation to be synonymous with each other.”

Jason gave a thoughtful nod. “How so?”

“Well, rest is rest. But relaxation to me _is_ dance. It’s like… stepping out of myself for a few hours. I can just cast the real world aside.” _Usually,_ he clarified silently. There had been a time where dancing as his dual self hadn’t been so easy. There had also been a time when that separate Nico hadn’t existed at all.

Jason didn’t need to know all of that just yet. That was the old Nico, and Jason was only just getting to know the current one. The improved one. “It’s kind of conflicting, I know. Dance is one of my biggest sources of stress and yet it is also my biggest stress reliever. It’s hard to explain.”

“No I—I think I get it. Dance was your hobby before it was your job. You must really love it.”

“I do. Dancing has been one of the main constants in my life. I’ve given up… gods, more than you can even imagine for it. Some things were harder to give up than others…” Once upon a time, the things he had given up haunted Nico. Of course, that was before Nico decided to shove the more painful parts of his past into a closet and lock the door. Hell, barricade the door.

“What kind of things?”

And there Jason was. Knocking.

“Family time, friendships, freedom, a childhood,” he took a deep breath, “People who… who mattered to me. At the time.”

Nico gave a small jolt of surprise as Jason reached across the console placed a hand by the his knee. “Do you ever regret it? Not dancing, but the things you had to give up for it.”

“Not for a second,” Nico answered, though even he could note a sort of wistfulness in his tone. “I know that where I am now is where I’m meant to be.”

“You’re so passionate about it,” Jason said. Another statement, a simple fact plainly spoken.

“I know. You probably think I sound kind of crazy…”

“Not for a second,” Jason said, tossing Nico’s own words back at him. “I wish I could care about something as much as you care about dance. I can tell it makes you feel alive. In fact, you might be the most alive person I have ever met.”

_Ironic, since I’m practically emotionally dead on the inside._

No, not quite dead. Asleep was more like it. Nico—the everyday Nico—had been asleep for nearly two years. A zombie who knew only two things—sleep and dance. Lately, however, Nico had felt stirrings of emotions. Strong, real, thick feelings.

“Then maybe you should get out of the graveyard,” Nico teased.

Feelings about more than just dancing. Feelings that made him wonder if he was finally waking up.

“I can’t help it. I heard a rumor that that’s where you were hiding.”

Or maybe, _maybe,_ Nico already had.

 

…

 

“Sooo…” Jason said as he and Nico arrived at the front door to Nico’s building. “Here we are.”

“Yeah,” Nico nodded, trapping his bottom lip between his teeth. “Here we are.”

 _You should just kiss him,_ he thought. They’d kissed last weekend—and Nico had even been the one to instigate it. What was the worst that could happen?

Well, he supposed Nico could freak out, but that didn’t seem likely after how well the night had gone.

But still, what if—

“Stop thinking so much and just kiss me,” Nico mumbled, meeting Jason’s eyes suddenly. His cheeks reddened at his own boldness, but Jason didn’t spend much time to admire how cute it was.

He practically shot forward to meet Nico’s request, taking the younger male into his arms and bringing their lips together for a slow, chaste kiss.

Nico’s arms looped their way around Jason’s neck, his finger tips grazing the hair at the nape. The feel of Nico’s touch had Jason practically shuttering with desire. The last time they’d kissed had been so brief, so surprising, that Jason hadn’t gotten the chance to hold Nico. Not even to touch him—save for their lips.

In fact, the last time the two had been _this_ close… Well…

Jason broke the kiss sooner than he wanted to. He had to keep things appropriate. Especially with two weeks ago suddenly fresh in his mind once again.

He didn’t withdraw from Nico, though. Their foreheads rested against each other, their noses nearly touched.

            Jason smiled. “I really, really like you,” he whispered.

“Then maybe,” Nico said, bringing their faces closer, “You should kiss me again.”

This kiss was longer. Deeper.

Nico stretched onto his toes and held on to Jason tighter than before. Meanwhile, Jason’s hands drifted from shoulders to hips.

In truth, it probably wasn’t the most appropriate kiss to have in front of apartment building doors.

But Jason could hardly care.

 

…

 

With Jason’s tongue in his mouth, Nico found himself questioning why he’d been so concerned about giving the guy a chance to begin with. Considering how he felt right now, Nico couldn’t imagine not continuing down this road. He couldn’t even imagine a Tuesday or Thursday where Jason didn’t show up at Olympic to pick up Zoë.

Nico wasn’t mad at himself for being so resistant in the past—not exactly. He’d done what he felt was best at the time.

But now… now Nico felt the best thing he could do was to stay right here. To keep kissing Jason. Keep holding Jason. Keep Jason’s hands on him.

It was more than just sexual desire, too. Nico knew that much for sure. Nico hadn’t enjoyed spending time with another person so much in years. Sure, Reyna was his rock and Hazel was a constant source of joy in his life but being around Jason was a different kind of joy. Nico felt giddy when he was with Jason. He felt nervous and excited and even kind of… free.

He felt like he was dancing.

Only when Jason drew back did Nico realize how badly he needed to breathe. “You’re making me not want to leave,” Jason panted, brushing his lips over Nico’s cheek.

“Well, you don’t have to leave just yet,” Nico mumbled, capturing Jason’s lips once again, even though he knew realistically that this couldn’t go on much longer. This was only their second date since starting fresh, and the last thing Nico wanted was to make the same mistakes as before.

Okay, well not the _last_ thing he wanted, but it still wasn’t a good idea.

“Jason, I assume?” A cool, calm, and very familiar voice asked.

 _Shit,_ Nico thought as he withdrew from Jason quickly. Standing on the edge of the parking lot was none other than Reyna, her car keys looped around her finger and her arms crossed over her chest.

“You just scared the shit out of me,” Nico accused to cover his embarrassment. His best friend had just witnessed him making out with a guy she had never officially met in front of the doors to their building.

This was definitely not how he had imagined Reyna and Jason meeting. Great, now both Reyna and Hazel had met the blond in a completely uncomfortable context.

“I wouldn’t have, if you knew the definition of get a room,” she teased.

“I thought you were upstairs!”

“I was at my sister’s,” she informed him.

“Uh, hi,” Jason stammered, stepping toward Reyna and holding out a hand. If Nico was embarrassed, Jason looked completely mortified. “You must be Reyna. I’m Jason. But I—I guess you knew that.”

Reyna studied the blond carefully before shaking his hand. Her intimidation switch was definitely flipped on. Poor Jason. “Yes, your name might have come up once or twice before.”

Jason looked as if he wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or run. Poor, _poor_ Jason.

“Okay Reyna, well, I will be upstairs in a minute,” Nico said, deciding it was too late at night and too soon into the relationship for Jason to be completely subjected to Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano.

“Fine, fine. I can take a hint.” She turned to Jason, “I’m sure we’ll meet again soon,” the way she said it, Nico knew it wasn’t an option. All week, Reyna had been nagging Nico to bring Jason around the apartment.

 _“You have sex with a guy and then start dating him before I even get to meet him?”_ She’d said, which was essentially code for _“Let me see what this guy is made of so I can decide if he is worthy of dating you.”_

“Yes, I’d like that. Definitely.” Nico thought he saw sweat forming on Jason’s brow.

Reyna softened momentarily, winking at Nico as she passed by them and disappeared through the doors.

“Gods, she hates me already, doesn’t she?” Jason groaned, slumping forward.

“No, that’s just Reyna trying to see what you’re made of.”

“You know, she kind of reminds me of someone, but I can’t put my finger on who.”

Nico moved closer to the blond once again, joining their hands. “Don’t stress, Reyna is pretty protective, but it’s just because she wants me to be happy.”

“Then her and I are on the same page,” Jason said, a small smile forming on his lips. Nico stretched up on his toes and kissed him.

“I really should go upstairs, though. It’s late.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Even as he said this, Jason chased after Nico’s retreating lips.

They kissed a minute longer—the whole time Nico tried to find the willpower to say goodnight for real. Neither of them wanted the night to end, but both of them knew that it had to. Had to end here.

Just… one more kiss.

“Okay, okay,” Jason relented, “Go upstairs.”

“Okay,” Nico nodded, feeling warm all over.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Another kiss.

“Oops,” Jason chuckled.

“I’m going to walk inside now.”

“You should.”

“I’m not even going to say goodnight. I’m just turning around and going.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Another.

“Fuck!” Nico groaned, even though he was obviously smiling. “I’m really going inside now!” He turned and started for the doors.

“Nico,” Jason said, before he could get even three steps away.

“Yeah?”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Nico replied, even though he had told Jason he wouldn’t say it.

Hell, it wasn’t the first time that Jason Grace had proven him wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, anyone else have cavities after all that sugary fluff? I couldn't help it, Jason and Nico are just so dorky and cute right now. 
> 
> Meanwhile, in Murder Suspect: *sirens wailing, random screaming, distant sobbing in the distance* 
> 
> (Also, I am in government class right now and if I flunk out of university, just remember how much I love you.)


	9. Sweet as Syrup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you all this story would not be abandoned! Sorry as always for making all of you, my lovely readers, wait so long. I'll explain my absence at the end of the chapter. For now, just go ahead and read!

“It was so great, Pipes,” Jason gushed Saturday afternoon as the two walked through the gym. “Not only was that our third weekend in a row of going out, it was our most official date yet. I didn’t force him into it, Zoë wasn’t tagging along; it was just the two of us! Well, for a moment his roommate Reyna popped up, but it was still a great night.”

Piper’s ponytail swung as she shook her head. “You basically told me all of this on the phone last night, lover boy,” she said, an amused smile on her face. “But I’m glad that you had fun. It’s refreshing to see you so excited about something.”

Excited was putting it mildly. Jason could dance across the moon. “I’ll try to arrange for you and Leo and Rachel to officially meet him soon. Just not too soon. I don’t want him to think I am too serious about us already, ya know?”

“Mmhm,” Piper hummed, “You’re totally chill and not emotionally invested in this blossoming relationship. So when you marry him, do you think you’ll go with a hyphenated last name?”

He poked her side. “You’re cruel to me.”

“It’s my job,” she shrugged. “Well, actually, teaching yoga is my job. Think you can stop talking about Nico for an hour while I teach my class?’

“I’ll figure out how to survive,” he said, rolling his eyes as they walked into the yoga room. Jason wasn’t nearly as bad as Piper was portraying him to be. Sure, his date with Nico the previous night had sent Jason straight to Cloud Nine, but Jason still had his digni—

Jason stopped abruptly at the sight of Will Solace setting up his yoga mat on the other side of the room. _Well shit._

Was it too late to turn and run? Will hadn’t noticed him yet, he could probably make a smooth escape without the other blond ever being the wiser. It wasn’t that Jason necessarily had a problem with the guy. Will seemed nice enough. Kind of annoying, but nice enough. Jason knew he shouldn’t be jealous or hold any grudges just because Nico used to be interested in him and had sex with him. It’s not like Jason had some grand claim on Nico, and he hadn’t even known Nico a year ago when he and Will had been an almost thing.

Still, being all smiley and starry eyed over Nico with the previous guy Nico had been interested in right across the room was awkward, to say the least. Yeah, Jason should definitely just turn aroun—

“Piper! Jason! Hey!” Fuck, okay, too late. Will had clearly spotted them. The floppy-haired blond had risen from his mat and was now coming straight toward where Jason and Piper stood.

“Hey Will,” Piper smiled, setting her stuff down at the front of the room. “Where’s Eros?” Ten or so other college age people were already sitting and standing in various places across the room, even though the class would not be starting for another five minutes. Jason suspected more people would be filing in just before class started. Piper’s Saturday classes weren’t as Popular as her Sunday ones, but there was still usually a pretty good turnout. However, the short brunet boy that Jason had met briefly, the one he knew to be Nico’s friend Eros, was nowhere to be seen. That was a relief, actually. Seeing Will was mildly awkward, but Jason imagined that seeing Eros would be far worse. He still recalled the embarrassing flirtatious texts the boy had sent through Nico’s phone last week.

Will rolled his eyes. “Oh, you know how it is. He and Luke got into a fight when we all went out last night about meeting parents or something, so Eros went home with this Brazilian dance boy. Luke’s livid, naturally. I swear I’m getting gray hairs because of those two.” He let out an exasperated breath before turning to Jason. “I’m sure Jason here’s night was a lot more enjoyable.”

Jason frowned, willing his face to not turn red. Piper laughed. “Oh what, Jason? You’re not going to talk his ear off about how _amazing_ your night was too?” Jason would have snapped at Piper that the last thing he wanted to do was recount his date with Nico to one of Nico’s past sexual partner, but he couldn’t say that with said past sexual partner standing _right_ there.

As if reading Jason’s mind, Will laughed awkwardly and said, “Ah, I see, he must have told you, huh?”

Jason shrugged, trying to hide his discomfort. “Maybe came up.”

“Well trust me Jason, I’m not the one you need to worry about,” he clapped Jason on the shoulder. “Not even close. You and I, we’re gonna be friends.” With that, Will smiled and returned to his mat. Jason’s scowled deepened. Will was obviously friendly, and he didn’t seem interested in Nico, but what he said _did_ bother Jason.

Who was he _supposed_ to worry about? And why?

The question sat with him for the entirety of Piper’s class.

If Nico had sex with three people before Jason, and Will was supposedly the most positive experience, what had the other two guys been like? Nico always steered the conversation away from questions about his past relationships. How bad could it have been?

Jason’s standing forward bend nearly ended with a face plant. Nico had been so against giving Jason a chance when they first met. Whatever had happened in his past, it likely wasn’t pretty. Of course, Jason wouldn’t hold that against Nico. The past was the past.

_I’m not the one you need to worry about,_ Will said. Worry. In the present tense. Should Jason be currently worried about someone?

Jason had never come out of yoga more stressed. Rather than wait for Piper after the class was done, Jason hurried to catch up to Will in the parking lot.

“Hey, Will!” He called out as the blond reached his car.

Will turned around, a smile on his face. Jason wondered if smiling was Will’s default expression. “Jason, what’s up?”

“What did you mean about how you weren’t the one I needed to worry about? Is there someone that I—that I should worry about?”

Will just kept on grinning, although the look in his eyes changed. “Well, that’s more of a conversation to be had with Nico. But, if you want some peace of mind until then, I can say this much—Nico isn’t interested in anyone else, it’s nothing like that.”

“Is someone else interested in him?” Jason didn’t know if that would be more or less worrying.

“That’s… complicated. What did I just tell you to do? Talk to Nico. He doesn’t bite… unless you’re into that,” Will winked.

Jason knew he was blushing this time. “Uh . . .”

“Kidding! Mostly.” Will hopped into his car before Jason could say anything else.

And Jason stood there, red-faced and dumbfounded in the parking lot.

 

…

 

Nico leaned against the wall outside of the dance studio, smiling down at his phone. Tuesday and Thursday classes had significantly improved lately, and the reason for that improvement would be arriving any minute. Nico knew this from the text on his phone.

**_Hey Mr. Nico, its Zoë. Uncle Jay says we are close. And he is exited to see u! I am 2! :D_ **

The six year old’s spelling made the message especially charming. Nico could imagine Jason passing off his phone to Zoë and persuading her to send the message. Adorable.

And today wasn’t just the usual Jason sitting in on Zoë’s lesson followed by five minutes of flirty conversation, either. After class was over, Nico would clean up while Jason brought Zoë home and then Jason would loop back for Nico and they were going to eat a late dinner together. At Jason’s apartment.

Nico knew he needed to rehearse more. His recital was next week, after all. But dinner was also important, right? Nico couldn’t dance on an empty stomach. That was how Jason had phrased it Sunday night while the two talked on the phone. Who was Nico to deny the needs of his stomach? And well, his other needs…

Jason’s car rolled into the parking lot. Nico felt his pre-existing smile widen even more. He told himself that he had come outside to get some fresh air, and not to see Jason at the soonest possible second, but even he couldn’t say for sure which was the truth.

“Mr. Nico!” Zoë squealed, popping out of the car first. “Uncle Jason says I can’t eat dinner with you guys? How come how come?!? Please let me come, Mr. Nico! I can eat a second dinner!”

“Zo, I told you, it’ll be too close to bedtime,” Jason said with a smirk, speaking to the six year old but looking at Nico. Nico’s heart beat quickened.

The girl wrapped her arms around Nico’s legs. “You get to see Mr. Nico so much! Mr. Nico, when will you come back to my house? Mommy will make you dinner.”

“I’ll come over sometime soon,” Nico promised, petting her hair. Jason stood right in front of him, a mere arm’s length away. Nico wanted to reach out and touch him. Wrap his arms around him. Kiss him until every other thought in his mind was obliterated. Damn Jason for always looking so good. He wore his glasses today, which actually made Nico want to kiss him more. Nico had never kissed a guy with glasses. He bit his lip and tried not to obviously check Jason out.

“Well,” Jason said, clearly noticing Nico’s eyes despite Nico’s efforts to maintain _some_ composure. “Let’s get inside. Class starts in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Nico said, gently prying Zoë off of his legs. He led the two Graces into the building, smiling at the desk girl Mellie as they passed. She smiled at Nico, then waved at Jason. Jason waved back. Apparently they had become friends. Nico chose not to question whether or not Mellie found Jason attractive. Jason probably wouldn’t even notice if she did, nor would it matter to him.

Zoë caught sight of one of her friends and scurried off after her, disappearing into the dance room. Nico glanced at Jason and smirked, realizing they were momentarily alone. _This could be fun._

“Hey, Jason, there is some stuff in the storage closet that I can’t reach. Could you help me for a minute?” He asked, mainly for the sake of the several mothers already seated on the bench outside of the dance room.

Jason, clueless guy that he was, shrugged. “Sure, happy to help.” Nico had to resist the urge to drag, rather than politely lead, Jason into the closet.

He did, however, practically shove the blond through the door once it was opened. “What was it you needed help wi—”

Nico shut the door and immediately pulled Jason into him, silencing the blond’s words with a kiss.

Jason let out a small, surprised sound that was incredibly charming before throwing his arms around Nico and kissing back eagerly. Nico had to stretch onto his toes to deepen the kiss, but with Jason’s hands on his hips he felt balanced enough. He welcomed Jason into his mouth and fisted his hands into the blond’s hair, wishing suddenly that his class could already be over with. Wishing they could be at Jason’s apartment instead of in some small storage closet.

_I won’t have sex with him tonight, though,_ Nico thought, just in case his body needed reminding.

When the kiss broke, Nico gasped for breath. “Thanks for getting that box down,” he chuckled. “I never would have been able to do it on my own.”

“But what about that other box?” Jason whispered, backing Nico against the door and kissing him again, even more enthusiastically than before. Nico gasped into the kiss, wondering how the hell he was going to lead a class of six and seven year olds when he felt so lightheaded and weak-kneed.

Oh fuck. His class.

“Jason,” he breathed, trying to push the blond away from him. “I—I have to start class.”

Jason began kissing his neck. “Nooooo,” he mumbled against Nico’s skin. “Not fair.”

“Life’s not fair,” Nico said, trying not to sigh at the feeling of Jason’s tongue grazing the sensitive skin of his neck. That would help no one.

Jason groaned with defeat. “Dammit.” He pulled back from Nico, who noted with amusement that Jason’s glasses had fogged up slightly. Adorable times ten.

Jason, noticing this as well, sighed and pulled the glasses off, wiping them clean with the bottom of his shirt. Nico attempted not to stare at the small strip of skin this action revealed. “I hate when they do that,” he complained, “it’s not sexy at all.”

Nico watched the strip of skin disappear as the shirt fell back into place. He begged to differ. “I like your glasses, they make you look all academic,” Nico smirked, stealing one final, brief kiss. “How do I look? Can you tell I’ve been making out in a storage closet?”

Jason leaned forward and tried to fix Nico’s hair. “If anyone is suspicious, just say it is unusually warm in the storage closet,” he laughed, “now let’s get out of here before I lose control and start kissing you.” They scurried out of the closet, looking only mildly suspicious.

Needless to say, Nico was in a bit of a daze during practice that day.

 

…

 

For once, Jason and Zoë left almost immediately following practice. Nico suspected Jason was eager to drop off his niece so he could get back to Nico. Well, that made two of them.

“Bye, Mr. Nico!” One of his students, a seven year old named Meg McCaffrey, called. She waved energetically, her cat-eye glasses crooked on her small, round face.

“Oh, actually Nico,” Mrs. McCaffrey said, leading her daughter back toward Nico, who tried not to roll his eyes. He enjoyed all of his students. Their mothers, however… not so much. Mrs. McCaffrey was the usual sort of suburban driving Whole Foods shopping stay-at-home mom that probably couldn’t wait for her daughter to move up to an older age group and get a female instructor, like Iris or Artemis. He doubted she was homophobic, most people in Berkeley were pretty liberal, but she still managed to sound condescending nearly every time she spoke to Nico.

A shame—since Meg was normally a wild ball of fun during class—that she had such an uptight mother.

“Yes, Mrs. McCaffrey?” Nico said, forcing a polite smile onto his face.

“Some of the other mothers and I have been talking and—” _oh boy, this will be good,_ “We’re all a little concerned about the man who keeps bringing Zoë Grace to class. He sits through all of the lessons and watches quite intently. It’s made several of us uncomfortable. Apparently he’s her uncle, but the way he watches first grade girls dancing around, well… that’s just strange, right?”

Nico almost laughed in her face. These women thought what? That Jason was some sort of pedophile? _Joke’s on you, Jason’s fucking gay. And we made out in the storage closet earlier._

“Oh no, Mrs. McCaffrey,” Nico said, trying to keep a straight face. “It’s not like that at all. I know the Grace family pretty well. Jason is just supportive of his niece. He’s a nice guy. You definitely don’t have to worry about him creeping on the girls. Or any girls, for that matter.”

Once upon a time, Jason had come to lessons for the purpose of creeping on Nico. That was also hilarious to the dancer. “I can talk to him, though, if you want? Maybe tonight, while he’s cooking me dinner,” he smirked. Mrs. McCaffrey’s eyebrows would have probably shot up her forehead, if not for the Botox.

“Oh, I see. Well, that probably won’t be necessary. Have a nice night.” She took Meg by the wrist and started hurrying out of the studio.

“Bye Mr. Nico!” Meg called, looking back at him over her shoulder.

“See you, Meg! Great job today!”

Once they were out of sight, Nico finally allowed himself a moment to laugh. All of the girls and their mothers were gone now. From the dance room across the hall, a familiar auburn-haired head poked out.

“So, you and the hot uncle?” Artemis said, a mischievous grin on her face. Nico blushed. Artemis, the youngest of the instructors at only seventeen, was Nico’s closest friend among his coworkers, but also had a knack for sticking her nose into other people’s business.

“I see you’ve been spying on me, as usual,” he sighed, shifting uncomfortably. She laughed.

“How could I not, when twice a week that hot piece of ass rolls in here to watch your classes?”

“Hot piece of ass?” Nico inquired, “I thought you don’t even like guys.”

“Well I still have eyes,” she said, as if it were obvious.

“We hang out sometimes. Why does it matter?”

“I just never see you ‘hang out’ with sexy guys who are clearly interested in you, is all,” she winked before disappearing back into her room.

Nico shook his head and returned to his room as well to collect his things. He had a date to prepare for.

 

…

 

When Jason returned to Olympic Dance Studio, he found Nico waiting outside for him in a different outfit than the one he’d worn during class.

“You look nice,” Jason said, appreciating Nico’s long sleeve black shirt and jeans. The shirt’s front pocket was adorned with a small green alien’s head, which Jason found funny and adorable.

Nico rolled his eyes as Jason closed his car door for him. “You always say that,” he called as Jason returned to the driver’s seat.

“Plot twist, I always mean it.” He leaned over the center console and chastely kissed the dancer’s lips.

“That’s pretty gross, considering half the time you see me I am sweaty from dancing.”

“I’m a sicko,” Jason teased, pulling out of the lot.

“Actually, now that you mention it, all of the moms from class do seem to be under the impression that you’re some sort of pedophile.”

“What?” If Jason had been eating or drinking anything, he would have choked.

“Meg McCaffrey’s mom approached me after class all concerned about how Zoë’s uncle kept sitting in on classes and watching the girls dance.”

“And what did you tell her?” Jason asked. God, he hoped none of these ‘concerned mothers’ had called Thalia. _That_ would be embarrassing.

“To call the police immediately.”

“Ha ha,” Jason said. “You’re hilarious.”

“I told her not to worry about it.” Jason saw Nico’s smirk from the corner of his eye.

“Oh no, Thursday will be awkward. Which one is Meg McCaffrey’s mom?”

“The one who sits like there is a stick up her ass,” Nico replied, still smirking.

“That narrows it down,” Jason laughed, reaching for Nico’s hand. Nico took it.

Mrs. McCaffrey was right about one thing, at least, _someone_ in that dance class had certainly caught his eye. That someone just happened to be the perfectly legal and incredibly alluring male dance instructor.

 

…

“So,” Nico said, finishing off his baked chicken, “You can cook.”

“I can cook certain things. I’m not exactly a master chef, but I manage to feed myself,” Jason shrugged.

“I’m sure you had to learn, living alone.”

The last time they had been in Jason’s apartment together, Nico had been rather distracted by the—erm—sex he had been having. Looking around now, he realized that Jason had a pretty nice apartment, considering he lived alone and didn’t currently work. Nico wondered what living alone was like. He tried to imagine life without Reyna breathing down his neck, Reyna dragging him out of bed when he was moping and making sure he ate meals whenever he was home. Jason had told him that he’d spent most of his senior year hidden away from the world. It had probably been easy with no family or best friends making sure you stayed healthy and social. But it also seemed like it would be so… quiet.

“Do you and Reyna both cook?” Jason asked, bringing his plate to the dishwasher.

“Reyna can make a lot. I only know how to make Italian food. My mom would always cook traditional Italian cuisine with me, before she died.”

“You said you were ten, right? Can I—can I ask what happened to her?” Nico’s initial instinct was to shut him down immediately with a firm no. Curl into himself. Build up his walls twice as high and reinforce them.

Three weeks ago, he would have.

But Nico wasn’t just trying to get to know Jason, Jason was trying to get to know Nico, too. And so far, Jason had offered up far more information about his past than Nico had.

Talking about his mother, he decided, was probably easier than talking about Octavian. Simpler. An event that had been completely out of Nico’s control.

All Nico had to do was be brave and spit it out. If Nico really wanted to see if he and Jason could be together, he would have to be honest. He couldn’t tiptoe around the blond only to have it blow up in his face later.

That didn’t make it any easier, though.

_Say it, say it._

“She was murdered,” Nico whispered.

The color drained from Jason’s face. “Oh, oh my God, I’m—God.” He didn’t say he was sorry, like many people did upon hearing the news. Nico was sort of glad for that. One could only hear that stupid phrase so many times before losing their mind.

“The guy hadn’t initially meant to kill her. Just mug her. She fought back, though. He panicked and shot her.”

“It sounds like she was a very brave woman,” Jason said, meeting Nico’s eyes from across the table. Nico wasn’t sure how to feel about the current barrier between them. Part of him thought it was easier to tell this story with Jason a few feet away, easier to pretend no one was watching or listening to him. However, another part of him wished that he could be curled against Jason’s side, that he could whisper the story and bury his face in Jason’s neck. It had been a year since he’d said these words aloud to anyone.

“She had to be brave that night,” Nico explained, swallowing hard. He thought about closing his eyes. “Bianca was with her.”

Jason said nothing at first. No eyes met across the table. Nico stared at his plate.

“That’s… terrifying,” Jason finally said after nearly a minute.

“Like I said, the man panicked after he shot my mom. Bianca says that the man looked into her eyes after he shot the gun, and he looked so horrified. He ran and left Bianca with my mother’s body.”

“Nico,” was all Jason had to say in response. Nico didn’t mind. There wasn’t much _to_ say about the story. The past couldn’t be changed, no advice could be given, no pitied apologizes could make things better.

“I know,” Nico breathed. “It was horrible. I was very confused after everything happened. I was just ten, barely ten. The only stresses in my life prior to that had been dancing and beating my friends at Mythomagic. But after Mom died, my whole family changed. Bianca became much quieter—less playful and more serious. Dad was mentally and emotionally wrecked basically up until the point he met my stepmother.”

“What about Hazel? You two have different mothers and the same father, right?”

“Hazel wasn’t living with us yet. Her mother kind of went off the deep end when she was twelve. She moved in with us then. Before that, she would only spend a few weeks with us during the summers.”

“Oh,” Jason breathed. The uncomfortable silence that followed made Nico’s palms sweat. He realized, looking at the blond, that he had no idea how Jason was actually processing this new information. The fear of rejection took control of Nico’s whole body. God, this was supposed to be the _easy_ story from his past to talk about. “I’ll take your plate if you’re done,” Jason finally offered just as Nico thought the silence would go from uncomfortable to unbearable.

“Yeah, I’m done,” Nico told him, a new hesitance lurking behind his words. When Jason left the table to bring the plate to the dishwasher, Nico struggled to breathe. His heartbeat was as loud as the blond’s footsteps. Surely Jason could hear it, too? Nico was almost more nervous now than he had been before he told the story.

“Alcohol poisoning,” Jason said suddenly. Nico looked up at him in confusion. The blond stood before the dishwasher, his back to Nico.

“What?” Nico asked, rising from his chair.

“My mom. She died from alcohol poisoning when I was young. I barely remember her, and Dad and Thalia don’t talk about her much. All I know is that she was a pretty terrible mother.” He turned to face Nico, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. “It’s complicated.”

Nico’s nerves seemed to seep from his pores and evaporate. Jason wasn’t deterred by Nico’s story, it had motivated him to tell one of his own. It made Nico want to smile, despite everything. “So what you’re saying is, we’re both poster children for mommy issues.”

Jason let his arms fall, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Yeah, pretty much. Although, in the spirit of honesty, my relationship with my dad isn’t exactly the best either.”

“What a coincidence,” Nico said, “Neither is mine. Your gay dancer son isn’t the sort you go brag to your relatives back in Italy about.”

“What about the gay dancer crush you tell all your friends in California about?” Jason challenged, leaning in closer so his smile lingered inches from Nico’s face.

“Oh shut up,” Nico rolled his eyes and shoved at Jason’s chest. The blond caught his hand before he could inflict any harm, though, kissing Nico’s open palm and smiling into it. Then he gently pushed the hand away and met Nico’s lips instead. It was an incredibly chaste kiss, far different from the ones earlier at the dance studio, but Nico didn’t mind. The sweet, slow pace made Nico feel like he was wading through syrup, a feeling that he never would have imagined being enjoyable until that very moment. Now, Nico felt as if he could drown in the sweet syrup and still be perfectly content. No, _more_ than content.

He could be happy.

Jason broke the kiss a moment later, sooner than Nico would have wanted. If Jason had not rested his forehead against Nico’s and curled an arm around his back, Nico might have protested. “Thank you,” Jason whispered, his fingers playing with the fabric at the small of Nico’s back, “For telling me about your mom. It means a lot to me that you would open up like that.”

“Same to you,” Nico replied, acutely aware of every point where he and Jason touched. It was impossible not to be aware of the heat—a gentle warmth on his skin, but fire at his core. He stepped slightly away from Jason, knowing that he would lose his ability to talk if he stayed in that position much longer. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if I barely remembered my mom. I mean, even if she was a shitty mom, in your case.”

“I’ll never really know what it would have been like to have her around,” Jason shrugged. “It’s kind of a blessing and a curse, you know? Not knowing what you’re missing out on.”

Those words filled Nico with water, dousing the fire and leaving him cold. “Trust me, I know.”

Jason frowned. Nico saw the look in his eyes change, saw the question forming on his lips, but the blond said nothing. If Nico wanted to offer up an explanation for his words, he would have, and Jason seemed to see that.

Nico was relieved. He could only handle so much honesty in one night. “Now, I do believe we have a few hours before you have to get me home,” Nico said, a light smile finding its way back onto his lips, “What are we doing next?”

 

…

 

Tuesday turned to Wednesday turned to Thursday turned to Friday turned to Saturday. The days blurred together exactly like that for Jason, whose week consisted of studying furiously for his second round of midterms and daydreaming about the few chances he had to see Nico.

After their discussion about family Tuesday evening, Jason had taken Nico out for ice cream at the same place they’d gone with Zoë a few weeks before, only this time it had been far more proper and date-like. They returned to Jason’s apartment after to watch a movie, and there was only a modest amount of making out accompanying it—Jason remembered well what had happened the last time things had gotten out of hand in his apartment and he did not want a repeat of a few weeks ago just when things were really starting to go well. And Jason definitely wasn’t going to complain about a mostly tame date—not when it ended with an especially long goodbye kiss in Jason’s car.

Wednesday paled in comparison. Jason didn’t get to see Nico once, and yet seeing him was the only thing on Jason’s mind. He ached to be near him again, touch him again, kiss him again.

Thursday was good and bad. Good: Jason got to see Nico again (granted, without the sneaky make-out session in the storage closet. Bad: All of the dance moms were absolutely _staring_ at him the whole lesson.

Friday had Jason practically banging his head against the wall. Last Friday he’d taken Nico out on a date. This week, Nico had to practice. Practice, practice, practice.

Saturday.

Jason rolled over in bed at the sound of his phone vibrating. It was close to eight o’clock in the evening and Jason had not left his apartment all day. He’d taken two tests during the past week and he didn’t have another until the following Thursday, so he’d made up his mind to do nothing all day.

The text waiting for him unmade up his mind.

**So I finished practicing early and Reyna is apparently out with her sister for the evening. Want to come over? ;)**

Jason shot out of bed so fast that his foot caught in the sheets and nearly caused him to face plant on the hardwood. He was dressed and heading for the door by the time he realized he hadn’t actually responded. Gods, why even have a big sister to embarrass him when Jason was so good at embarrassing himself?

**_I am literally on my way. See you in ten!_ **

Jason wished he’d done something with his hair. He hadn’t showered since Friday morning and he looked like it. He hadn’t even put on his contacts, which meant Jason would likely be having another embarrassing episode like Tuesday when kissing Nico in the storage closet has literally fogged up his glasses.

He was too eager to see Nico to truly care, though. Nico had thought Jason was attractive the day they’d met, and Jason knew for a fact that he had looked like a total wreck that day. At least today he’d had the common sense to put on jeans and not those ugly old sweatpants he liked to live in when he was at home.

Ten minutes turned out to be eight, but Nico was already waiting for him outside of the front doors nonetheless. “What took you so long?” Nico teased, pushing damp bangs away from his eyes. A drop of water clung to his forehead. He’d probably just gotten out of the shower when he texted Jason.

“Don’t tease me,” Jason whined, his cheeks flushing. He was so painfully into Nico, and Nico knew it.

“I’m not teasing you,” Nico said seriously, blushing a little himself for reasons Jason didn’t quite understand. “You’re just amusing and cute.”

“Oh? I’m the cute one?” Jason retorted, wiping the water droplet from above Nico’s brow. He leaned in to kiss Nico, but the younger male held out a hand to stop him.

“You’re not saying goodnight to me right now, you can kiss me upstairs,” he informed, the blush darkening. Jason wanted to steal a kiss anyway—Nico looked so fucking _good_ standing there in a dark sweater with flushed cheeks—but he stepped back and indicated for Nico to lead the way.

Jason had only ever seen Nico’s apartment from the front door on Halloween, and that had barely been a glance. Upon stepping inside, Jason’s first impression was of the dueling personalities of the two roommates. A sleek black coffee table sat in front of a traditional brown couch, which was decorated with pillows that Jason could only imagine Nico casting to the floor. The walls were painted a dark gray, but there were enough windows that the apartment was probably light and sunny during the daytime. The kitchen table had three chairs around it, each chair appearing to come from a different set. It was strange and also charming. Hectic and orderly at the same time. Nico and Reyna all at once. Well, Jason assumed the other aesthetic in the apartment was Reyna’s. Currently, all he actually knew about the girl was that she had a very intimidating stare. She kind of reminded Jason of his old Latin professor, Lupa Howell—famous for what her students called her “Wolf Stare.” She reminded Jason of someone else, too, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on who.

But Jason wouldn’t have to worry about Reyna for the evening. It was just Jason and Nico in the apartment. Jason and the very kissable Nico di Angelo.

“Nice place,” Jason said, because he had more courtesy than to immediately start lip-attacking the guy beside him.

“Thanks. Reyna was going to live with our friend Annabeth, before she was accepted to study at Oxford. I got lucky.”

“Where would you have lived otherwise?”

Nico shrugged, walking towards the couch. Jason followed. “Not sure. I guess with Will and Eros, though that would have been a real clusterfuck. Will’s a mess and Eros brings home too many overnight guests.”

_Will._ Jason thought back to the previous Saturday outside the gym. _I’m not the one you need to worry about,_ he’d said. Jason had been trying to come up with a way to ask Nico about that all week. He chickened out.

“I thought Eros was dating that other friend of yours, Luke?” He asked, plopping down beside the smaller male on the couch.

“Dating is, uh, not exactly how I’d put it. Believe it or not, I actually fall somewhat in the middle of the problematic spectrum in my friend group,” he gave an awkward yet endearing laugh. Well, perhaps it was only endearing because Jason found everything Nico did endearing.

“I wouldn’t say you’re problematic,” he replied carefully. Jason didn’t fully trust himself to not say something wrong or stupid.

Nico rolled his eyes half-heartedly. “Jason, I already like you. You don’t need to lie to me in hopes of earning my favor.”

A goofy smile overtook Jason’s face. Even though he technically already knew Nico liked him, hearing it made Jason feel warm inside. “I meant it! Mostly. You’re not especially problematic or anything.”

Nico laughed again. “Then I have you so, _so_ fooled,” he mumbled, leaning in to finally connect their lips. Jason wasn’t sure if he had said the right thing, after all, but he’d gotten a kiss out of it so he figured he must not have totally shot himself in the foot. He smiled into the kiss and curled his fingers into Nico’s still-damp hair. Nico scooted closer to Jason on the couch and deepened the kiss—an action which nearly sent a thrilled shiver down Jason’s spine. He was so fucking attracted to this guy that he felt it in every inch of his body. Jason felt Nico like a second pulse, throbbing under his skin and making his own heart beat double-time.

Nico had explicitly stated that he wanted them to take things slow so he could really figure out his own feelings, but that didn’t mean Jason’s feelings were taking things slow. And, well, he wasn’t quite sure how slowly Nico’s feelings were moving either, judging by the way he leaned into Jason’s chest and sighed against his lips. Jason didn’t comment on that, though. Nico said he wanted to take things slow, and even if it didn’t seem like that was what he wanted, Jason would follow through with it until Nico said otherwise. He wanted to respect the dark haired male’s wishes.

He only hoped that Nico would tell him if things started to get uncomfortable for him, because otherwise Jason didn’t know where to stop. His mind and heart and whole body yearned for the dancer.

“See, isn’t this better than kissing me downstairs?” Nico whispered against Jason’s lips, and this time a shiver really did run through the blond. The way their lips brushed together when Nico spoke made Jason’s entire body feel like a live wire.

“I don’t think you understand how badly I want to kiss you every time I see you,” Jason said back, pulling away when he realized the kissing and talking had managed to fog up his glasses again.

“Damn these things,” He groaned, taking them off to wipe them with his shirt. As he put them back on his face, Nico suddenly moved to sit sideways on his lap.

“Your glasses are cute,” he said, pressing a chaste kiss to Jason’s cheek. “I already told you. It makes me feel like I have lured some brilliant grad student into my apartment.”

“Is that not actually what you did?” Jason asked, looping his arms around Nico and squeezing him close. He had never gotten to just hold Nico like this and making the most of the moment seemed like a good idea.

“Nope,” Nico said. “That makes _me_ sound like some devious mastermind, and it didn’t exactly take a lot to ‘lure’ you in. I am pretty sure you were dressed and in the car within what, thirty seconds?”

“What can I say? I like you. A lot.” Jason tried not to blush. He wanted Nico to think he had at least a shred of dignity.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Nico teased, stealing another quick kiss, this one on Jason’s lips.

“That’s fair, subtlety _is_ my ultimate strength, after all,” he nuzzled against Nico’s neck. “For instance, I’ve missed you like crazy even though I just saw you on Thursday, but I’m not going to tell you that because that would make me look like a loser.”

“Ah, I see.” Jason could hear the smirk in Nico’s voice. “How was all of that time away from me?”

“Boring. Miserable. I studied for my midterms mostly. Today I just kind of… did absolutely nothing. It’s occurring to me that I don’t have much of a life.”

“You really know how to sell yourself, Jason,” Nico informed him, resting his head against the blond’s chest.

“I’m an honest salesman,” Jason chuckled, squeezing Nico lightly in his arms once again. Gods, he wanted to hold Nico all night. “Did you miss me?”

“Who are you again?” Nico joked.

“The guy who is about to kiss you again,” Jason said, and then he did just that.

 

…

 

Nico hadn’t necessarily invited Jason over for the sole purpose of making out—at least, that was what he had told himself after sending off the text to Jason. He would admit, however, that the distracting urge all day to have Jason’s tongue in his mouth had played a large part in Nico leaving the dance studio two hours earlier than planned.

_It’s for my own good,_ Nico defended as he adjusted himself to be properly straddling the blond. _If I get all of this out of my system tonight, then I will_ actually _be able to focus tomorrow._

Moderation, yes moderation was the key. As long as Nico didn’t see Jason every day like this, he could be a dancer and date Jason at the same time, right?

He wanted to keep dating Jason. He _really_ wanted to keep dating Jason.

One of Jason’s hands moved from Nico’s hair down his back, resting on his hip instead. Strong fingers pressed tightly into the fabric of Nico’s shirt, one managing to slip into the space between the bottom of the shirt and his jeans.

Fuck, did Nico ever want to keep dating Jason.

Jason’s glasses were fogging again, but this time Nico removed them and cast them to the side. He didn’t want Jason getting distracted by them again. Besides, he didn’t need to see to suck Nico’s bottom lip into his mouth.

Nico was very aware of how much of his body was touching Jason’s, but he tried not to let that pull him out of the moment. Being this close to Jason was one of the best parts of kissing him, so long as he could behave himself.

The problem was that a small, burning part of Nico didn’t want to behave. He’d mostly held back on Tuesday at Jason’s apartment, the memory of the last time he’d gotten carried away fresh in his mind. But here, at his own apartment, Nico would like to think he was a little more in control of his actions.

Only a little.

Jason’s kisses moved across Nico’s jaw and down his neck. Nico locked his hands into Jason’s hair and held him there, wondering if the blond had realized yet that the neck was one of Nico’s weak spots. “Fuck,” he whispered, surprised as the sensation nearly caused Nico to grind against Jason’s body.

Ah, yes, so this was why Nico had avoided kissing Jason in this position since they’d worked things out. The temptation to move, to go further than just kissing was incredibly strong when they were like this.

“Okay, we need to stop,” Nico gasped, lightly pushing at Jason’s chest. “Sorry. I can’t—”

Jason nodded, withdrawing from Nico’s neck. “No, I get it. I agree. It’s, um, for the best.” His whole face was flushed in a way that had Nico biting down on his lip. They stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily. Nico was amazed that Jason had been so immediately okay with stopping. Most guys would have tried to persuade Nico to change his mind, or even flat out ignored him—at least, that was how it had usually been in Nico’s experience.

_“You’re such a tease,”_ Octavian would snarl at him whenever Nico had to cut things off at a certain point.

Nico hated that word. He wasn’t a tease. Or, well, he didn’t mean to be…

“I’m not trying to lead you on or anything, really, I just feel myself getting carried away sometimes and that is a bad idea for me.”

“Nico,” Jason said, resting his tanned palm against Nico’s much paler face, “I said I get it. I don’t want you to do anything you will regret later, but I don’t always know what you are thinking. If you need to stop something don’t be shy to tell me, okay?” His smile was reassuring and nothing but genuine. Nico’s skin wasn’t on fire anymore, but Jason’s smile made a slow warmth fill his entire body.

“Okay. Want to watch a movie?”

“That depends, will there be any PG rated cuddling involved?” Jason asked, kissing Nico’s cheek.

Nico grinned. “If you’re lucky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter seemed kind of weirdly cut together, or like it was incomplete, that is because it essentially is. Last month I started writing out this chapter based off of the plan I had for it, but what I didn't realize was that my short paragraph summary of what I wanted to happen in the chapter would actually grow to be over 40 pages of material! Yes, that is right, this should be a 40+ page chapter! I found that WAY too long compared to my other chapters, so I ended up splitting the original chapter down the middle (roughly) and just making it two separate chapters instead. The other half of this will come in about a week or so, and will pick up right where this chapter leaves off.
> 
> So, not only did I write two chapters of WYLEI since last updating, I also wrote and updated chapters 26 and 27 of The Murder Suspect since last updating this story in February. I lead a busy life, and going 4 chapters (essentially) without posting on here really added up timewise, if that makes any sense. It's 1:30am and I'm actually exhausted. Oops. But I was determined to update this before sleep so here I am! 
> 
> Also, a fun fact about my life right now: My good tumblr and fanfiction friend (known here as HimekoUchia and on Tumblr as hetalianninja) is here in my house right now! It's her first time in The States so she came to see me! And this weekend we are driving several states over to see our mutual friend (and someone many of you probably know) SonOfHades! It will be the first time we all hang out in person and I cannot wait! Fanfiction friends are good friends to have. Okay, enough about me. Goodnight. 
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter, even though it was kind of oddly paced in my eyes. See you again soon!


	10. A Dangerous Combination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am again! Told you this wait wouldn't be too long (even though I admittedly had to drag my friend to a Starbucks to post this because the internet at my house went out). Speaking of friends, I just had an awesome weekend with xsonofhadesx and hetalianninja from tumblr! They are such fun people and good friends and I loved having the chance to hang out with them in real life. We talked a lot about our stories, but even they don't know all of what is to come for dear Jason and Nico in this story. I guess you'll all have to wonder a little longer!
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I got really into writing it! BUT, before you take off and start reading, I need to give a slight TRIGGER WARNING for talk of past emotionally abusive/manipulative relationships and dubious consent. All of these things are merely referenced, however, and do not actually occur in the chapter.

An hour or so into the movie, the cuddling became a little more PG-13. Jason had been lying against the back of the couch, an arm thrown over Nico, whose entire back was pressed against Jason’s chest. Then, at some point, Nico had looked up to comment on a part of the movie to Jason, and Jason had answered by bringing his lips down to meet Nico’s.

The angle had been complicated, though, and now Nico wasn’t facing the TV screen at all. He and Jason were chest to chest, kissing in a way that was far from friendly, but less heated than earlier in the night.

“Don’t move too much or you’ll knock me off the couch,” Nico mumbled, wiggling even closer to Jason. Jason took that as an invitation to wrap his arms more firmly around the smaller male and press their bodies flush together. Nico gasped into the kiss.

 _Fucking cute,_ Jason thought. Nico was irresistible in a way that made Jason’s heart actually hurt. It was insanity to desire someone he was only beginning to know this deeply, and yet here he was. If it were some other guy, someone who wasn’t Nico, Jason would have dismissed these crazy feelings as only lust. But it was Nico. Gods, _Gods,_ only desiring Nico’s body would be an injustice to every other part of Nico.

“Your chances of falling off the couch go way down if you are on top of me,” he mumbled, because all of his romantic musing didn’t change the fact that Jason still did desire Nico’s body a significant amount.

“Wow,” Nico breathed, flashing a wicked smirk that only made Jason want him even more, “That line was just… so bad…” He teased, even as he moved to lay on the blond. Jason stretched up and stole a brief kiss.

“So bad and yet here you are, totally on top of me.”

“Shut up and start kissing me or I am moving back to where I was,” Nico said, pulling Jason’s glasses from his face and setting them on the coffee table.

And Jason did. Because Nico’s bold, impatient, flirtatious side was too irresistible to ignore. As much as he enjoyed this daring version of Nico, Jason was fucking relieved it wasn’t the guy’s default setting. No nineteen year old should have that much power.

Jason only hoped that Nico’s, uh, “power” did not leave Jason with an embarrassing situation below the belt. Jason needed to keep pace with whatever Nico wanted, and he probably didn’t want an erectionated Jason grinding against his thighs while they kissed. He had been close enough to that earlier, when Nico had been straddling him.

 _Don’t think about how his body is touching your body in dozens of different places,_ Jason told himself, trying to maintain composure even as Nico nipped lightly at Jason’s lip.

“Fuck,” he breathed, wrapping his arms tightly around Nico’s torso. Even _more_ places that he was touching Nico now. Wanting to be as physically close to Nico as possible was complicated when you weren’t sure if you could actually handle it, but that didn’t seem to be stopping Jason.

An explosion boomed from the television, some part of the movie that was still playing. “Gods, the volume on the movie is so damn loud,” Jason noted.

“We’re watching a movie?” Nico replied, kissing along Jason’s jawline. “Since when?”

Jason responded by guiding Nico’s lips back to his own. The only thing Jason needed to make this night worthwhile was Nico, not some random movie. The TV could be all static and Jason wouldn’t have cared.

A small sigh escaped Nico’s mouth, causing Jason to almost instinctually grip Nico even tighter. He would have to loosen his hold on the younger male soon, if he did not want to accidentally hurt him. Plus, the threat of getting hard was more real than it had been just two minutes ago.

What could Jason even think of to cool the fire inside of him, though? There was no ignoring how badly he wanted this—how badly he wanted to kiss Nico and hold Nico and feel their chests rising and falling against each other. Mentally, Jason knew he was strong enough to not just start ripping off Nico’s clothes. He wouldn’t try anything without knowing Nico was totally comfortable after all, but that didn’t mean that Jason’s dick was on the same page. Sure, he could stop himself from actually trying to have sex with Nico, but how could he stop himself from wanting him? Jason couldn’t exactly persuade his body to not be aroused by Nico.

A sudden jolting of Nico’s body against Jason’s tore through and obliterated the blond’s entire thought process. Whether purposefully or not, the dancer’s legs and hips adjusted in such a way that had him practically grinding down on Jason’s crotch. A pleasured hiss spilled from Jason’s mouth. Nico paused for a moment, nearly throwing Jason into a panic. Surely, that had been a step too far.

Was Nico going to tell Jason they needed to stop again?

 _Shit, I shouldn’t have responded like that,_ he miserably thought, just moments before Nico smirked against his lips and did it again. A small moan of his own slipped from Nico’s mouth into Jason’s.

 _Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_ He hadn’t been expecting that reaction at all. If Nico wanted to do more than kiss, he needed to say something before Jason’s brain short circuited. Or was this him getting out of control? Should—should Jason say something? Thinking was so difficult under these… circumstances.

The door opened abruptly, almost faster than Jason could process with his lust-clouded mind. What he became aware of first, actually, was Nico suddenly sitting on the edge of the couch rather than lying on top of him.

“Reyna, hi,” Nico said, his voice coming out at a far higher pitch than it had when he’d been mumbling flirtatious comments against Jason’s lips.

Jason, instantly flushing red with embarrassment, scrambled into a casual sitting position as well, fishing his glasses off of the coffee table.

Two feminine figures stood in the doorway. Reyna, in front, stared at the two of them with raised eyebrows and a questioning stare. If she was at all discomfited by walking in on her best friend and an almost complete stranger making out, her face didn’t show it. The woman behind her, however, appeared to be wickedly amused.

And… very familiar to Jason. He blushed even harder as he realized who Reyna had _really_ reminded him of when they’d met. Hylla. Her sister.

_Oh God. Oh God._

“Hylla?” Jason exclaimed.

“Hi, Jason. Nico.” She nodded and smirked at them both.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Nico asked.

“Oh yes, who do you think referred Thalia to your dance class, Nico dear? She and I go way back.”

“Hylla!” Nico groaned. “Were you trying to… To make this happen?” He moved a finger between himself and Jason.

The older sister looked smug. “Reyna’s known this whole time, too.”

“Reyna!” Nico’s exclamation was nearly a squeak this time. Jason fought the urge to bury his face into the couch.

It was no coincidence that Thalia had sent Jason to pick up Zoë from class that one day, Jason had already known that. He just hadn’t imagined how involved and non-coincidental the scheming had actually been.

“I had… almost no part in this. Calm down.” Reyna crossed through the living room toward the kitchen.

“No, if you knew about it, then you are involved by association! You never warned me about what Hylla and Thalia were up to.”

“You would have freaked out and ruined your chance at being happy,” Reyna shrugged. Did that mean Reyna thought that Jason would make Nico happy? When they’d met, Jason had gotten the distinct impression that Reyna didn’t approve of him.

“Well, guess what? I’m freaking out anyway!”

Another thought occurred to Jason, distracting him from his musings about Reyna. “Hylla, wait. If you were trying to set me and Nico up, why didn’t you help me out a little?” Jason interrupted, feeling some belated frustration. He had vented to both Thalia and Hylla about how hard he was trying to win Nico over and Hylla had just sat there and played dumb the whole time.

“That would be cheating, Jason,” she informed. “You two need to relax. Did it not all work out? Did I misinterpret the situation when Reyna and I walked in to the room? You certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

Nico looked mildly horrified. “That is… beside the point!" Even his ears had gone red at this point. It would have been endearing if Jason wasn’t in a similar state of mortification. At least his forming semi had gone down the second Reyna and Hylla arrived.

“Fuck, you two are adorable. Thalia was right. Aren’t they sweet, Reyna?”

Reyna merely side eyed Jason and then looked back to her sister before disappearing into the kitchen. Jason wondered if he was the only person in the room unable to interpret her expressions. Maybe he had been too hasty in reconsidering Reyna’s impression of him. She certainly didn’t seem to like him.

And yet, she _had_ silently played along with Hylla and Thalia’s scheme so…

Jason’s head hurt.

“Don’t mind my sister, Jason! Arellano women are naturally suspicious of everyone. For what it’s worth, she’s been rooting for you to not be a dickhead fuck-up.

“I can hear everything you’re saying, Hylla!” Reyna’s voice floated casually from the kitchen.

“Good.”

“Okay, I am literally so uncomfortable right now. Goodnight Hylla,” Nico said, taking Jason by the hand and practically dragging him out of the living room toward the bedrooms. Jason looked back over his shoulder as they left and saw Hylla giving him the thumbs up. He wasn’t sure whether to hug her or strangle her at that moment.

And he didn’t have to decide, because suddenly Nico was yanking Jason into a bedroom and shutting the door behind them. Hylla’s laughter echoed through the apartment.

“Women,” the younger male groaned, leaning back against the door.

“Hylla and Thalia are a dangerous combination,” Jason said, scratching at his head awkwardly. He glanced around the room they were now in. Nico’s bedroom, he realized.

The room was a lot more mundane than Nico himself. Jason hadn’t known what he’d been expecting. Black walls and dance posters, maybe. A skull shaped doorknob. Instead, he found himself in a room with unpainted, bare walls and little to no personal decorations. A closet stretched along the wall beside the door with a single, full-length mirror hanging on the sliding door. A desk was pushed against the wall to Jason’s left, and on it sat an open laptop computer and a few picture frames. Jason couldn’t quite make out what the pictures were of from where he stood, but it appeared to be Nico with his friends and family. The wall opposite of that had Nico’s bed which, admittedly, did seem very Nico—in that it was completely black—sheets, pillows, and comforter. Jason smirked at it, then flushed when he realized that he and Nico were alone in a room with a bed. Nico’s bed. Where he slept. Every. Night.

Jason gulped.

 _Don’t you dare get turned on again, Jason,_ he warned himself. _Reyna and Hylla are just in the other room. Now is not a time to think about Nico in beds._

His efforts to block such thoughts from his mind were ruined, however, when Nico flopped onto the bed. “Reyna and Hylla too, apparently.”

Jason stared at him, eyes wide as saucers. Part of Nico’s shirt had ridden up when he’d fallen onto the bed, leaving a strip of pale hip exposed.

Nico, noticing Jason’s gaze, inclined an eyebrow at the blond. “You know, you’re staring. Want to sit?” He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“On… on your bed?” Jason’s voice came out too breathy to be casual. He fought the urge to smack himself in the face. _Stupid!_

“Uh huh,” Nico said, tilting his head to the side. Jason gulped again, but this time there was nothing to swallow.

“When are all these pictures from?” Jason asked quickly, starting toward the desk. He picked one up—a photo of a young girl with light olive skin and chocolate brown hair and a woman who must have been her mother. The mother’s skin was darker, and her hair closer to black than brown, but all of the features between woman and girl were nearly identical, and both of them vaguely reminded Jason of the dark haired beauty behind him. “Is this your mom and sister?” He turned back to Nico and held up the picture.

Nico smiled gently and rose from the bed. “Yeah. They took this photo a few months before my mother passed. It’s, uh, the most recent one of her I have. Bianca hates this picture, though. See that hat she’s wearing?” He reached around Jason and tapped on the glass over the green cap on Bianca’s head. “She used to wear this thing everywhere. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. After Mom died, she stopped wearing it. Now she is embarrassed by the sheer amount of photos she is wearing it in, so she gave this one to me.”

Jason nodded, feeling Nico’s warmth at his back. Just minutes ago, Nico’s entire body had been pressed against Jason’s. It was hard not to want that again. “They’re both a lot tanner than you,” Jason commented to keep the conversation rolling—and also because he was genuinely curious about all things Nico di Angelo related.

“I kind of grew out of it,” Nico explained, reaching for another picture on the desk. This one was slightly older, with all four of the di Angelos smiling together in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nico’s mother and father stood behind their two small children, hands resting on their small shoulders. Nico stood in front of his father, looking to be no older than Zoë. It had to be Nico, Jason knew, but the boy in the picture looked a lot different than the Nico he knew. His skin, while still lighter than his mother’s, was much more olive than the pale complexion he had now, and his hair barely even reached his ears. A missing front tooth left an adorable gap in his childlike grin.

“I tanned really easily as a child, but started drifting more toward my father’s paleness as I got older. I take more after him than my mother,” Nico explained. Jason examined the picture again, this time focusing more on the man in the back. Nico’s father was tall and broad shouldered with pale skin and nearly black eyes. It made sense that he had acquired a nickname like Hades. If not for the happy expression on his face in the photograph, Jason would probably be very intimidated by the sight of Nico’s father. Still, he could see what Nico meant about the family resemblance.

Nico placed the picture back on the desk. “Would you like to ask me about more pictures? Or raid my closet? Or, I don’t know,” Nico gripped the back of Jason’s head and stretched onto his toes, “kiss me?”

“We’re not alone anymore,” Jason muttered, glancing hesitantly at the door.

“Well, we’re alone in here,” Nico reminded, pulling Jason closer.

Jason bit into his lip painfully hard. _Fuuuccckkkkkk._

“Are you okay?” Nico asked, suddenly serious rather than flirtatious. “You look… stressed.”

“I think I like you too much,” Jason confessed, hesitantly resting his hands on Nico’s waist.

“What do you mean by that?” Nico asked gently, curiosity lighting his eyes.

“It’s hard for me to control my feelings for you, but I’m afraid of making you uncomfortable or scaring you away,” he whispered. “I want to go at your pace.”

“Jason, you know how much I appreciate you agreeing to give us a chance to start over, and always being so considerate of me but,” Nico lowered his voice to a whisper as well, “You can still kiss me.”

“We’re in your bedroom,” Jason whispered back, as if it wasn’t obvious, “With your bed. And things were getting sort of heated on the couch before…”

“You are so sweet and adorable,” Nico sighed, brushing back a piece of the blond’s hair. “Don’t worry, Jason. I’m not planning on going further tonight than we already have. I just want you to stay longer, but we can’t really keep kissing on the couch with Reyna around. It’s not like kissing on my bed will suddenly make me lose control and start ripping your clothes off.”

Now it was Jason’s turn to incline an eyebrow at Nico. _Yeah, he probably thought that three weeks ago before we had sex, too._

Nico laughed. “No, Jason, really. Don’t look at me like that. I’m in control.”

 _I love hearing him say my name,_ Jason realized, more than a little flustered. _I could listen to him say it over and over._

“What if my control is a little shaky?” Jason breathed.

“Then we can cool things down a bit,” Nico concluded. “Just stop looking like you’re about to have an aneurism, seriously. I like you, Jason. I _really_ like you. You’re not going to scare me off so easily… this time.”

“And you wonder why I’m worried,” Jason teased, leaning in and finally giving Nico the kiss he’d been asking for.

 

…

 

_I think I like you too much._

Jason’s words rattled through Nico’s mind the whole time they kissed. They had, in fact “cooled things down a little bit” as Nico had suggested, but that only meant that Nico was a simmering pot of water rather than a boiling one. The two lay side by side on top of Nico’s bed, cuddled together but not actually one on top of the other as they had been before. Rather, the two were both on their sides, cuddled in each other’s arms and kissing languidly. It was far less intense than things on the couch had been, but Nico didn’t mind that at all. He would never admit it to Jason, but he _had_ been starting to get a little carried away before Reyna and Hylla had made their embarrassing (for Nico, that is) entrance.

It was highly possible that Nico liked Jason too much, too.

Things felt so fucking _right_ when Jason was around. Nico felt happy to the point of giddiness whenever he was about to see him, and whenever they were together he felt… wanted. Not just sexually, either. Jason seemed to be emotionally attracted to him, too, and genuinely interested in his life, and—

 _Octavian used to be like that too,_ Nico thought, and suddenly withdrew from Jason’s warm embrace. He sat up in bed, pushing a hand through his hair.

“Something wrong?” the blond asked, and for a moment Nico saw the face of a different blond haired boy. But then he locked in on familiar vibrant blue eyes—swimming with a mix of confusion and concern—and Nico relaxed once again.

_Jason isn’t Octavian. Not even close. I’m sure of that much._

“No, I’m fine. Sorry about that,” he returned to his former position and moved to kiss Jason again, but the blond held out a hand to stop him.

“That wasn’t nothing,” he said softly. “Did I make you uncomfortable or something? You can tell me.”

_Definitely not Octavian._

Jason stared at him with the same mix of curiosity and concern, and Nico’s stomach twisted. As much as Nico liked Jason, he wasn’t ready to open up about Octavian yet. Thinking about him was an IV drip filled with poison, talking about him was being buried alive. He wasn’t having that conversation before he absolutely had to.

“I just thought of how… how happy I am right now. And how scared I am that it’s not going to last, or that it isn’t real,” Nico said, which was technically true. “I feel like things shouldn’t be as, I don’t know, as perfect as they are.”

“I’m not sure whether to feel flattered or worried,” Jason said with a nervous chuckle. “What can I do to make you feel better?”

“It’s not you, Jason, it’s me overthinking things. My specialty.”

“Well, walls don’t come down overnight,” Jason shrugged, taking hold of Nico’s hand. “I guess I will have to stick around long enough to prove to you that this isn’t all going to blow up in our faces.”

Nico felt the smallest of smiles cross his face. “Oh yeah?”

“Yup. But spoiler alert, things definitely won’t be perfect.”

“Good,” Nico whispered, stealing a brief kiss. “I hate perfect. It’s creepy.”

“If things feel too perfect, let me know and I’ll like, step on your foot or something.”

“You’re such a dork,” Nico laughed.

“I like your laugh,” Jason said. “It’s so happy and cute.”

Nico leaned in to kiss Jason again to hide the growing smile on his face, which was more “goofy and embarrassing” than “happy and cute.” Jason responded positively to the action, pulling Nico in closer and deepening their kiss.

Nico had no idea how much time tonight the two of them spent kissing, but it was probably a concerning amount of time. Whether or not he had intended it, this had certainly turned into a make-out date, but he didn’t think he regretted it. Not when the feel of Jason’s lips on his own made Nico feel so alive, so electric. _I could kiss him all night,_ Nico thought to himself, curling his fingers into the fabric of the blond’s shirt. _Part of me wants to._

To think, a month ago Nico wouldn’t even entertain the idea of grabbing a meal with Jason, and now he was wishing that their date wouldn’t have to end.

“What time is it?” Nico mumbled into Jason’s mouth, hoping that by some miracle it was only ten-thirty, or even eleven.

Jason withdrew from the smaller male to check his phone, which rested on the nightstand beside his glasses. “Close to midnight,” Jason said, sliding his glasses back onto his face. “Do I need to leave?”

Did he? Twice that night Nico had nearly lost his composure, had nearly allowed things to escalate too far, but he had managed to avoid that both times. Well, the second time was actually thanks to the return of Hylla and Reyna. Nico did not truthfully know where things would have gone had the sisters not barged in.

But, well, he felt plenty in control of himself right now, and it wasn’t actually _that_ late.

“I don’t think you need to leave yet, if you don’t want to,” he breathed, examining Jason with a barely concealed look of hope.

“Nico, I’ll stay until you literally shove me out the door,” he admitted, his eyes meeting Nico’s dead-on. There was something arrestingly intense about the way Jason looked at him that nearly stopped Nico’s breathing. Deep want coursed through his entire body for the man beside him. The air felt charged.

“Reyna won’t mind?” Jason asked, breaking the moment. Nico took a breath, filling his lungs once again. The tension had broken, but Nico was left feeling almost woozy. He had no words to explain how he’d felt when Jason looked at him that way, or even what a look like that meant.

“Why would she?” Nico asked, shaking the thought away.

“Well, I don’t get the feeling that she trusts me very much,” Jason admitted, lying back down on the mattress.

“Reyna doesn’t trust anyone who is interested in me, to be fair. I think she is rooting for you though, based off of her actions.”

“Not immediately chasing me out of the apartment?” Jason joked.

“She also let Hylla and Thalia carry out their little scheme. I mean, Reyna is protective as hell, but she does ultimately want me to be happy.” He paused. “She’s seen me in some pretty dark places.”

“Your ex?” Jason guessed.

Nico shrugged noncommittally. “Yeah, and even before that. The guy who I lost my virginity to… I think Reyna wanted to track him down and castrate him.” He felt himself frowning.

“You’re making me think I should do the same,” Jason’s expression matched Nico’s. “What happened?”

“Your first time, it was with your boyfriend, right? The one you dated senior year?”

Jason nodded.

Nico nodded too, the warmth that had filled his body just minutes ago seeping away. “So, I lost mine the spring of sophomore year…” Nico whispered, “When I was sixteen.”

“Okay,” Jason said, a hint of nervousness lingering in his voice.

“To a nineteen year old. Who I barely knew. Who was manipulating me.”

“Fuck,” Jason breathed. Nico took a deep breath and continued. _You can do this. If Jason isn’t turned away by this story, maybe that will warm him up to hearing about Octavian,_ Nico thought, though these musings didn’t bring him much comfort.

“Um, it was at this kind of spring break dance camp. Or a training camp, I guess is a better word for it. High schoolers would stay at this camp for nine days and go to different workshops and at the end of the program, there were auditions for this two-year dance academy in Los Angeles. They would let two hundred or so dancers into the camp, but there were only forty spots available in the actual school for incoming juniors. Ganymede was a recent graduate, and it was his job to sort of, I don’t know, supervise us? He was also around to help with routines and such. Basically everyone at camp talked about how handsome he was—boys and girls. I had a crush on him too, naturally, not that I expected anything to come of it. At first. But then he ended up being especially nice to me in particular. I felt singled out in the best sort of way. I basked in his attention. He told me that I would have a spot in the school for sure, and that he would help me practice.

“When he would train with me though, I would always find myself distracted by irrelevant things. How good looking he was, the way he smiled at me, how he would rest his hand on the small of my back. I had never gotten that kind of attention from a guy before, especially not an attractive older guy who could have done way better than me.”

Jason looked like he wanted to say something, but Nico silenced him with a look. _Let me get this all out now, or I won’t be able to finish._

His hands had already started shaking.

“Then the day before auditions, we were walking back from the studio and he kissed me. My first kiss, believe it or not. I was painfully innocent back then. Painfully naïve. And he asked if I wanted to go back to his room… And so I went. And… and we kissed some more and… he convinced me to…” Nico’s voice disappeared. He looked away. His whole body shook now as images of that night floored him. The kissing had started off so nice, before Ganymede had gotten Nico onto his bed. Then the kisses were forceful, intense. Nico had felt so lost, so lame, even though Ganymede had told him he was a fine kisser. Nico had let that compliment cloud his judgment. He’d convinced himself that he was okay with what was happening—that he wanted things to go further. Ganymede was obviously experienced, they were alone, and Nico felt so _wanted._ He hadn’t realized then, just what Ganymede had wanted.

“Stop, stop,” Jason said, stroking his fingers down Nico’s face. “You don’t have to tell me this. If it’s too hard for you, you can stop. You’re trembling,” his voice was tight, eyes panicked. “I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Nico choked. “Well, kind of. Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts. I haven’t even gotten to… to the bad part of the story.”

Jason drew Nico into his arms, holding his shivering body tight to his chest. “Is this okay?” He whispered.

“Yes,” Nico practically hummed, relaxing somewhat into Jason’s chest. He chose to stare at Jason’s shirt, rather than his face, as he continued with the story.

“It wasn’t a good night for me. I mean, Ganymede wasn’t a complete bastard through the whole process, he started off slow and he prepared me a little bit… but I wasn’t ready for anything like that. It hurt and I was scared. And when it was over, Ganymede kissed me again and then kicked me out of the room. Stupid me, I didn’t even think to worry. I had no prior experience to compare it to.

“The real disaster was the next day, though,” Nico murmured, practically wincing at the memories of that day. At that time, it had been the second worst day of his whole life. He’d been through worse since then, but that hadn’t closed the wounds that existed from that day. “I didn’t actually realize how sore I would be. My audition fell apart. Literally, I fell. And _that_ was when I found out that Ganymede had actually been intentionally sabotaging me and I started to have a panic attack backstage. The judges were all concerned about me, and I stupidly told one of them about what had happened.”

“Stupidly?”

“Well, Ganymede was fired. And shunned from the dance community. He was nineteen and I was sixteen. We both could have gotten into trouble, I guess, because the age of consent is eighteen in California, but the school didn’t report Ganymede to the police. I don’t know if it was for his sake or mine. Doesn’t matter, really. They offered to let me re-audition but I refused. You couldn’t pay me to go to their fucking academy and have to see fucking Bryce—”

“Wait, who is Bryce? And why do you say you were stupid for reporting that fucking asshole?”

 _Oh._ Nico hadn’t meant to mention Bryce. He had never once even hinted at his existence when talking to Jason about his past. Hell, Nico dedicated most of his mind power toward trying to eradicate the boy’s existence from his memory. It was impossible, of course. For as long as Nico remembered his childhood, for as long as he remembered Ganymede, for as long as he remembered Octavian, Bryce Lawrence would be imprinted in Nico’s mind.

“No one. I mean, someone. Someone who hates me. It’s—he’s—the story gets very complicated from here and I can’t—I’m not ready to—” he buried his face deeper into Jason’s shirt, trying to hide from the blond’s questions and his own past.

“Okay, shh, okay. You don’t have to tell me any more. Thank you for being so honest with me, Nico. It means a lot. But you don’t have to tell me anything that you aren’t ready to tell me, okay? I’m not pressuring you.”

Nico glanced up from Jason’s shoulder to find electric blue eyes staring down at him seriously. A simple nod from Nico, and Jason’s expression softened. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Jason laid a chaste kiss on his forehead and rubbed Nico’s arm reassuringly. Only Nico didn’t feel totally reassured. A forehead kiss? Had the story maybe made Jason think about taking a step back after all?

“You still like me, right?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jason immediately dismissed, “Of course I still like you. Some story from your past isn’t going to change that. The only thing that I can see changing is my moral stance on murder. If I ever meet that fucking douche in real life…”

“You’ll have to fight Reyna for the chance,” Nico informed, glancing up and admiring every single detail that made up the man before him.

“Is that why you didn’t want to believe that I actually liked you when we met? Because of him? Ganymede?” Jason asked in an uncertain tone, as if he thought this too might be a dangerous question. Jason was endlessly careful, endlessly respectful, but also so persistent. The persistence was the first thing Nico had noticed. _This guy just won’t quit,_ he’d thought whenever Jason tried to talk to Nico after lessons. Part of Nico had found it endearing, the other suspicious. He knew that guys who looked like Jason did not typically waste their time on guys who looked like Nico without some ulterior motive.

Or at least, he thought he’d known that.

“That was certainly a large part of it,” Nico sighed. “You proved me wrong, though. How annoying of you,” he shot the blond a teasing grin.

“I’m not apologizing,” Jason shrugged, covering Nico’s grin with his lips.

 _Good,_ Nico wanted to reply, only his mouth was admittedly quite busy with more important things.

 

…

 

“Nico,” Jason whispered to the younger male in his arms, whose blinks had become slower and slower over the past ten minutes. “It’s late. I should probably go.” According to Jason’s phone it was pushing one in the morning. In truth, Jason should have probably left thirty minutes ago. Keeping his eyes open had turned into a task in and of itself. And still, _still_ part of Jason wanted to struggle to stay awake, to stay with Nico just a little longer.

“No, not yet,” Nico mumbled, throwing an arm over Jason and pulling him closer. Clingy, sleepy Nico telling him to stay wasn’t doing Jason’s willpower any favors, either. “I have to practice a lot this week, I won’t get to see you again until Tuesday.”

 _Tuesday._ Jason scowled. He knew what that meant. Five minutes, ten maximum to see Nico before the dancer would disappear back into the studio, leaving Jason wishing for nothing but to have more time with him. Even worse, his recital for school was this upcoming Friday, which meant the rest of his week would be just as busy.

“Ten more minutes, and then I’m leaving,” Jason relented.

“Fine, ten more,” Nico agreed.

He stayed many more minutes than ten.

 

…

 

Jason was jolted suddenly back to awareness by the opening of the bedroom door, and his eyes opened to a surprising brightness.

A _morning_ brightness.

Daylight filtered in through the un-shut blinds, painting the room with a soft daytime glow. Jason lay atop the bed that belonged to the young man currently asleep by his side.

 _Oh fuck._ Had Jason really fallen asleep? And stayed the whole damn night?

Reyna leaned against the now open doorway, arms crossed, face too neutral to truly be neutral. Jason gulped.

_Double fuck._

The sound seemed not to have woken Nico, who didn’t rouse as Jason carefully nudged Nico’s body away from his own. He noticed then, with a start, that his glasses had made it through the night without falling off of his face.

“Didn’t realize you were staying the night,” Reyna whispered matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t mean to,” Jason more mouthed the words than whispered them, sitting up in bed and meeting her eyes, which Jason noticed looked as wolf-like as ever. “Really. Nothing happened, either.”

“Obviously,” Reyna replied in a hushed tone, indicating Nico, who was fully clothed and above the blankets, just as Jason was.

“It was still irresponsible of me, though,” Jason added, hoping that he had not killed his chances of winning the favor of Nico’s best friend. Talking to her was far more intimidating without a conscious Nico there as a buffer.

“Well, not the most irresponsible mistake you two have made, right?” She replied drily, walking over to the bed.

Jason considered jumping out the nearby window to save himself from further embarrassment. Of course Reyna knew they’d had sex. If Nico had told his little sister, surely he’d told Reyna too. Jason had certainly told Thalia and Piper. Still, hearing the insinuation from Reyna felt totally different, probably because Jason and Reyna _weren’t_ friends.

Reyna leaned over the bed, making Jason go stiff with fear. Was she going to try to kill him? _No, don’t be stupid._

He felt especially stupid when she reached all the way over him and flicked Nico’s forehead. “Busted,” she said as the action shocked him awake.

“Reyna what the fu— _Jason?_ ” Nico sat up in bed, pushing himself a few inches further away from both Jason and Reyna.

“So it turns out we accidentally both fell asleep last night,” Jason said, his heart beating a little faster now that Nico’s eyes were on him, still slightly dazed from just waking up. Nico in the mornings was something that Jason could definitely get used to. Had Reyna not been right next to them, he might have reached out a hand to press down Nico’s bedhead. Instead he merely twisted his fingers into the comforter.

“Oh,” Nico responded in a small voice. What did that mean? Was he okay with what happened? Was he upset? Gods, Jason hoped this didn’t become a setback for them. Then he noticed Nico’s cheeks and ears turning pink and a weight lifted off his chest. “You better not have drooled all over me,” he said with pretend irritation.

“Well shit,” Jason laughed, feeling light and almost giddy.

“Wait, Reyna is in here. And you were already awake when I woke up,” Nico turned to his best friend with narrowed eyes, “What did you say to him?”

“Nothing! We were just having a little conversation, right Jason?”

“Reyna,” Nico groaned.

“No, it really wasn’t bad, I promise,” Jason said.

“See? Now both of you, get up.” Reyna clapped her hands together once.

A puzzled frown formed on Jason’s face. “Up?” It was reasonable to assume that Reyna was kicking him out, but Jason didn’t want to leave yet. Yes, he had overstayed his welcome by many, many hours, but that only meant that leaving Nico would be even harder.

A wicked smile, the first smile Jason thought he’d actually ever seen from the woman, lit Reyna’s face. “It’s Sunday morning.”

“Oh no, Reyna!” Nico said, scrambling over top of Jason and off of the bed to stand face to face with his roommate. “No no no no no you don’t.”

“Let it happen, Nico. It’s time. It’s his destiny,” she rubbed his head, messing up the hair further. The action distracted him enough that it took him a solid fifteen seconds to realize they were talking about him.

“Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano, you _hate_ me,” Nico growled.

“Ah, so it’s settled. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes, kay?” Reyna winked at Jason before fleeing the room.

“Um, what is going on?” Jason asked, hesitantly rising to his feet.

“Friend breakfast,” Nico sighed. “Every Sunday morning my friends get together at our favorite diner. Reyna has decided that you’re coming.”

Jason’s first instinct was to be excited. Reyna must have approved of him, then! And Jason would get to officially meet the rest of Nico’s friends. That was almost boyfriend-ish, right? More Nico time also sounded glorious.

The look on Nico’s face, however, made Jason reconsider his enthusiasm. “Is that a bad thing?” He asked.

“Well, let’s put it this way, if you still like me afterwards, I’ll be shocked.”

Jason found the mere thought of that laughable. “Nico, come on now, I think we’ve established the embarrassing extent to which I like you.”

“If you say so,” Nico shrugged, “But _don’t_ say I didn’t warn you.”

 

…

 

Reyna had been the one to suggest taking two cars, so Jason would not have to drive all the way back to their apartment to get his car after breakfast was over, but Nico still thought it was a little too trusting of her to allow Jason and Nico to drive to Ella’s Diner all on their own. Had Nico been the one behind the wheel, he would have taken Jason as far away from the place as possible.

He should have known, however, that Jason would not even think about skipping out. Jason would probably learn to speak Icelandic or swim to Peru if he thought it would make Reyna like him more. Clearly, Jason didn’t realize that the fact that she had not yet chewed his head off was the highest form of approval he could receive at this point.

“Really, I won’t hold it against you if you turn back now,” Nico said as they rolled into the parking lot. “In fact, I would be very, very happy.”

“They’re your friends, Nico,” Jason countered, “How bad could things be?”

“They’re my friends but they’re also loud and intrusive and completely without filters.”

“So, your friends are all Thalia?” Jason smirked.

 _Sisters._ Nico hadn’t even thought of Hazel. “Well, my sister is actually going to be in there.”

That, at least, seemed to make Jason a little more nervous. _Good, he should be nervous._

“Friends and family are part of your life. I am also trying to be a part of it, so this is inevitable.”

 _“I am also trying to be part of it.”_ Nico wanted to argue back, but he was too busy fucking melting into his seat. Waking up next to Jason hadn’t bothered him nearly as much as it should have, even with Reyna’s unpleasant forehead flicking. If it weren’t for the mass embarrassment that was Nico’s friend group, he would have been thrilled by the opportunity to spend some more time with Jason. As it stood, he could only hope that things wouldn’t go as horribly as he predicted.

Optimism. What a concept.

Reyna stood waiting for them outside the doors. It was nearly ten minutes after ten. They were probably the last to arrive. Great, so Jason would be thrown to the sharks all at once.

“Finally, I’m starving,” Reyna grumbled.

If they were anywhere else, with anyone else, Nico would have reached out to squeeze Jason’s hand. He settled for raising his eyebrows at the blond and shooting him a look that said _well here goes nothing._

His friends, sitting cheerily at their usual table by the window, did not notice the approaching trio right away. It was Will, surprisingly without any medical textbook in front of him, who turned to notice them first. “Oh my God,” he exclaimed, practically hollering. _So_ fucking _loud._ “Will you look at that!”

That was enough to get the attention of the whole rowdy table. Five heads moved to look in the exact same direction as Will. “I didn’t know we could bring dates to Friend Breakfast, Nico!” Will added with a laugh.

“Doesn’t make a difference to you, since you never get any,” Percy teased, shoving at the blond beside him and shooting Nico a supportive smile.

“Your mother’s always too busy, Perce,” Will retorted.

“Jason fell asleep at our place last night,” Reyna explained, dropping down in the free seat beside the window, opposite of Frank. Damn, Nico should have claimed that seat first, furthest away from the more obnoxious of the group. “So I insisted he come to breakfast and meet everyone.”

“Uh, hi,” Jason waved shyly.

Will smiled while looking between Jason and Nico. “Sleepovers already? The plot thickens!”

“SCANDAL!” Eros screeched bouncing in his seat. “Nico, you took my advice after all! Très bien!”

Nico flushed deep red. “It wasn’t even—we didn’t—shut up.”

“Bah, you’re no fun,” the other dancer pouted. “Just like Luke!” Luke rolled his eyes. The buffer seat between the two indicated that whatever argument had started between them last weekend was still going strong.

The problem with that was, with Eros in the seat beside Reyna, the only available seat was between both Luke and Eros. Nico would likely have to take that one, but that would mean pulling up a chair for Jason at the _head_ of the table.

“I’ll get a chair for Jason, he can sit next to me!” Will expressed, which didn’t make Nico any happier.

“No, no, no, let the prudish lovebirds sit next to each other!” Eros insisted, jumping to his feet, “We don’t need an extra chair, I’ll just sit with Luke.” There was a devious grin on the French male’s face as he lowered himself onto Luke’s lap.

“What the fuck? Get off of me!” Luke hissed while shoving at Eros, but the latter remained seated.

“Oh no, I’m quite enjoying myself right here.”

“Kill me,” Nico sighed, pushing a curious looking Jason into the seat beside Reyna and taking the seat next to the eternally unpredictable Luke and Eros. At least Jason didn’t have to sit by anyone he didn’t know. Though, Nico realized a moment too late, this position did have Jason sitting right across from Hazel. _I just can’t win._

“Percy, right?” Jason asked to break the awkwardness, turning to Nico’s oldest friend.

“Yup! Good meeting you again, Jason. You wouldn’t believe how much _your_ name comes up at this table. Well, maybe you would believe it. I don’t know.”

“Oh… uh… well… I…” Jason’s whole face had begun to redden, an unfortunate trait that Jason and Nico seemed to share—blush-prone faces. At least Jason’s entire body didn’t blush, because right now Nico could feel even the skin of his chest flushing.

“We’ve never been properly introduced, Jason,” Hazel said, stretching her hand out across the table, “But I’m Hazel, Nico’s sister.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, laughing awkwardly and attempting to smile at the table’s youngest, “You’re quite the artist. I—I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.” He shook her hand.

“This is my boyfriend, Frank,” Hazel said, nudging the boy beside her.

“Welcome to the world’s biggest mess,” Frank added, shaking Jason’s hand as well. “I’m pretty new here as well. You get used to all the crazy.”

“Crazy!” Will echoed, “The only crazy people here are these two,” he smacked at Eros across the table with his menu.

“He means you,” Eros said, making a big gesture of turning himself on Luke’s lap so the smaller male was practically straddling the blond. Nico watched Luke’s Adam’s Apple bob.

“Yeah fucking right,” he replied, less malice in his voice than before. The two on-again-off-again lovers shared an intense look.

“Eros, we’re in public, stop being so… you,” Nico sighed, trying not to stare at the intimate way Eros sat in Luke’s lap, or the place right between the former’s thigh and hip where Luke’s hand had come to rest. He would never admit it aloud, but the blatant sexual energy being exchanged between the two of them was stirring something deep inside Nico as well. He thought of Jason, of bodies pressed together on the couch, of Jason’s fingers finding the exposed skin above his pants.

“Someone get this _brat_ off of me, please,” Luke agreed, his voice tight. Judging by the look on his face, he had only just remembered that he and Eros were supposed to be mad at each other.

“Hmph! Ruin my fun,” Eros pouted, turning back around slowly and deliberately to face the rest of the table. Luke tried to conceal a low groan. Nico noticed Jason averting his eyes from the spectacle, looking terribly uncomfortable. _Poor sweet Jason. Unsuspecting Jason._

Will grabbed a chair from a nearby table and, over the course of the next minute, he and Percy coaxed Eros into it. The European boy sat in his new seat at the head of the table with a childish frown on his face.

“Luke,” Percy cleared his throat, “You haven’t met Jason, right?”

Luke shrugged, which was a rather polite response in Luke World. A response that usually only Percy or Annabeth could draw out of him.

“Well, you know Luke, it is polite to introduce yourself to people when you meet them for the first time.”

Luke made a big show of rolling his eyes and then turned to look at Jason for the first time, “Hi,” he said flatly.

“Oh, hello,” Jason waved awkwardly.

“So cute,” Eros purred, elbow on the table and chin propped up by his hand. He had his eyes on Jason in a way that made Nico feel suddenly possessive. _That’s_ my So Cute _you’re checking out,_ he would have said if he had the nerve. “I didn’t know you wore glasses, Jason.”

“Yeah, I switch between glasses and contacts a lot. My eyesight is horrible,” the blond seemed comfortable enough answering that question, though what he thought of Eros’ previous comment was unclear to Nico.

“You must work out a lot, too! Am I right? Your body is amazing.”

Luke huffed agitatedly. Nico nearly did the same. Eros was unapologetically flirtatious, sure. Nico got that. But with _Jason?_ Nico hadn’t realized how possessive he felt over the big blond dork until he looked down and saw that he was on the verge of ripping his menu in half.

“Um, thank you?” Jason’s response came out sounding more like a question. He turned to Nico for some sort of confirmation that his answer was okay, only to notice the almost violent way Nico held his menu. An eyebrow was raised at Nico in response, and the dancer struggled to smile normally and look casual.

Jason, looking suddenly more at ease, gently pried the menu from Nico’s tense fingers and replaced it with his own hand. Nico, embarrassed, did not grip this object half as tightly. Jason nonchalantly moved their joined hands to rest under the table and Nico’s annoyance was momentarily forgotten.

He caught Percy and Hazel smiling in his direction and whispering. He thought about chastising them for whispering about him when another voice spoke up.

“Eros doesn’t exactly have a filter,” Will apologized, flicking his best friend on the side of the head—ah, perhaps that was what had inspired Reyna to rudely flick him this morning—“Please excuse his behavior.”

“What did I do wrong?” Eros fussed. “I can’t comment on the physical attractiveness of Nico’s new boyfriend? Because I do recall you doing it multiple times, Will.”

Nico tensed. _Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend._ The mere idea intimidated him.

“He’s not my—” Nico said at the same time as Jason said “Um, we’re not—”

“That’s totally different!” Will snapped, talking over both of them. “You don’t just—just say things like that to people’s faces.”

“Simmer, Children,” Reyna chided. “Ella will never come over to take our orders if you keep acting this way, and I personally want to eat.”

Eros huffed and flipped his bangs from his eyes. Unfortunately, Nico knew that the silence from him would only last for so long. Eros truly loved to talk, and Luke secretly must have loved egging him on, because he sent the French dancer a very smug look at that moment.

Eros, clearly not one to let Luke have the last word—or smirk, in this case—returned to his previous seat upon the blond’s lap. “I’ll behave. If I can sit here.”

“Reyna, let him,” Hazel dismissed. “It’s easier this way.”

“Speak for yourself,” Luke sneered, shoving at the smaller male, who remained unmoved. Luke’s face suggested that he was seriously considering just throwing Eros to the floor, but a scathing look from Reyna stopped his protests.

Shortly after, their usual waitress Ella came over to take their orders, looking only mildly surprised by the newness of Jason and the sight of Eros on Luke’s lap. After over a year of Sunday mornings, Nico figured Ella had seen them under weirder circumstances.

“So, Jason, overwhelmed yet?” Percy asked, leaning across the table with his usual charming grin. Nico remembered how much power that grin used to have over him when they were younger and nearly laughed. That felt like lifetimes ago, rather than years.

“What’s there to be overwhelmed about?” Jason asked with another awkward laugh.

“That’s the spirit! I knew I liked you,” Percy flashed the grin to Nico now, as if congratulating him for Jason’s general likability. Nico fidgeted in his seat.

“Thanks, dude. You seem cool, too.”

“Dude! See Luke, I told you people think I’m cool.”

Everyone turned to Luke, who apparently had at some point started up a mini fight with Eros. “Stop fidgeting on my lap, you ass!” He growled, tugging on a brown curl.

“Is my _ass_ a problem?” Eros challenged, intentionally fidgeting and then sticking his tongue out. “Missing me so soon?”

“How can I miss you when you are right fucking here bothering the shit out of me!”

“Well excuuuuuuse me, perhaps I should go ‘bother’ Pablo instead. I bet _he’d_ let me meet his mother.”

“You fucking wou—”

“Seriously! You two!” Reyna snapped. “At least act like you have any brains. We are in public, for fuck’s sake. Why can’t you just smile bashfully at each other and secretly hold hands under the table like Jason and Nico?”

Nico would have blushed if he had not already reached maximum redness capacity.

Luke—glaring at Reyna, or the whole table, or perhaps just the world in general—wound his arms around Eros to hold him in place and to presumably stop the dancer from fidgeting on his lap, though only the latter looked happy about it. In fact, Eros looked downright smug.

“Sorry Reyna,” they said in unison. Reyna nodded in acceptance before rubbing her forehead. It was hard for her—keeping everyone in line without Annabeth’s help. Annabeth had always been the best at controlling Luke’s temper, and Eros would usually give up on trying to egg the guy on once it was clear he wouldn’t get a rise from him.

Percy restated to Luke how Jason had called him cool, and a friendly bickering arose between the two while Luke struggled to hold Eros in place.

“And I thought _you_ made things rough for me,” Jason mumbled into Nico’s ear while the others were listening to Luke and Percy converse. Nico squeezed his hand under the table.

“Pssh, I went easy on you,” Nico mumbled. “We haven’t even known each other two months, you know. And here you are, being exposed to my insane friends.”

Hazel, who Nico belatedly realized with embarrassment had been listening in on their conversation, cleared her throat. “I mean, my insane friends and completely sane, pure, and wonderful sister,” Nico corrected.

“Thank you,” Hazel nodded. “Can’t be giving your boyfriend the wrong idea about me.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Nico snapped, almost too quickly. Everyone stopped suddenly to look at Nico, but Nico didn’t have room left to feel embarrassed at his little outburst. Hazel and his friends all surely _knew_ that Jason and Nico weren’t actually together, so why did they keep using that damn word?

“He sure seems like your boyfriend,” Will chimed in.

“We’re just dating,” Jason clarified.

“So by that you mean, you _wish_ Nico was your boyfriend?” Percy clarified,

“Drop it, guys,” Nico ordered. “Or I’m never bringing him around any of you again.”

“Oh really?” Reyna challenged, “Good luck with that one, Nico.”

“For what it’s worth,” Jason interrupted, “I’m pretty used to constant embarrassment. So this is fine.”

“Oh gods,” Nico groaned, “you’ll only encourage them.” But then he smiled, so Jason smiled too.

And then the drinks arrived and the rest of the meal… actually wasn’t as insufferable as Nico had feared. (To be fair, the abrupt mid-meal departure of Luke and Eros—apparently all made up and happy for reasons that Nico didn’t want to think about involving a little too much under-the-table friction—had helped things greatly.)

Nico left the restaurant feeling oddly happy—like maybe, just maybe, Jason could cut it in the friend group after all.

 

…

 

“I’ll be waiting for you in the car,” Reyna said, patting Nico’s head after one of the strangest meals of Jason’s life. “Jason, I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

Jason, who had been openly staring at Nico for, well, a shameful length of time turned to Reyna. “Hopefully. Um, thanks for inviting me.” Spending more time with Hylla’s sister had only convinced him further that women were confusing creatures better left alone. Did Reyna like him? Was she merely allowing him close to learn of his weaknesses?

“Don’t mention it,” she shrugged. “Also, stop looking at me like I’m going to throttle you at any second. I’m not nearly as scary as you think.”

“Oh,” Jason considered lowering his head to not have to meet her eyes any longer. “Yeah, okay,” he met here gaze dead-on and tried to look less nervous.

“That is, unless I need to be,” she added coldly, making the ‘I’m watching you’ motion with her fingers before crossing the parking lot to her car.

“I’m not at all comforted,” Jason squeaked, turning to Nico.

“That’s Reyna for you. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

Jason’s heart skipped a beat, the fear of Reyna suddenly forgotten. “Okay,” he said, openly beaming. He hadn’t gotten much alone time with the other male all morning. Hadn’t even got to lay a single kiss on those perfect li—

“Uh, Jason, that involves actually walking, you know,” Nico said, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

“Right, yes, of course,” he took Nico’s hand in his own once again and interlocked their fingers. They walked through the parking lot together, hand in hand, and Jason realized that when he let go of Nico they would be saying goodbye. And Jason would go home. Alone. Alone and surely missing Nico more than ever, because in this moment, he surely liked Nico more than he ever had before. Liked him more every time he saw him. Dreaded every separation more and more.

“So,” he said, “You’re rehearsing all this week, right? And your recital is on Friday night?”

“Yup, it’s the most important performance of this semester, so I’ll be really busy. Not even at the dance studio. I’ll mostly be rehearsing on campus with one of my choreographers.”

“Sounds fancy,” Jason said, hoping Nico didn’t think Jason was making fun of him.

“Kind of,” Nico shrugged. “I don’t like others breathing down my neck that much, but it’s part of life.”

They arrived at the car, and Jason’s heart sank. “Does life include me getting to take you out… Saturday? I don’t want to bother you this week when you’re so busy but… I still want to spend time with you again as soon as possible.” Two brief periods of seeing each other during the upcoming week would feel like torture. Two single gasps of air with hours spent drowning. Saturday would at least give him something more substantial to look forward to.

“You could come to my recital Friday night!” Nico blurted suddenly, squeezing Jason’s hand in an almost reflexive way.

Jason shot from the depths of despair into what could only be heaven and pulled Nico closer to finally kiss him. “Yes. Yes. Absolutely yes!” He had the decency to blush at his own eagerness. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m free?”

Nico laughed and stretched up to meet Jason’s lips for another brief kiss. “Okay. Friday, then.”

“It’s a date. Kind of.”

“I’ll be the one on stage,” Nico smirked.

Jason bit his lip. “Sounds hot.” He leaned in to kiss Nico’s lips a third time.

“Oh no,” Nico said, putting a hand to his lips. “We both know how this goes. You kiss me, then I kiss you, then you kiss me again, and then Reyna pops up, and it takes an obnoxious amount of time for us to say goodbye. I’m leaving now and stopping this before it starts.”

Jason pouted as the dancer stepped away. “Fine.”

“I’ll see you Tuesday.”

“And I’ll be the not-pedophile watching you through the glass.”

“Sounds hot,” Nico mocked, turning to head in the direction of Reyna’s car. “Bye, Jason.”

Jason drove home with a massive smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is! Jason got to meet more of Nico's friends and get a taste into the horrible relationships of Nico's past. More to come in the future! Unfortunately, no update will be coming in the immediate future. This girl has to return to The Murder Suspect for a chapter or so. I'll try not to leave you all with another five month wait though! I'd hate myself if I did that. 
> 
> Leave a comment letting me know what you thought of the chapter, or telling me any possible theories ytou have for what is to come. I LOVE hearing from you all :)
> 
> (OH, and side-note, I totally made up the word erectionated in Jason's internal monologue because Jason is a dork and that is how he thinks. So yeah. I know it isn't a real word but it brought me joy to write.)


	11. The Boy Within The Boy Within The Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Wow wow wow. It's been so long. Explanations will come in the Author's Note at the end. For now, I'll just let you read and enjoy. This chapter is part of a two chapter set. The next part will go up in the next 1-2 weeks.
> 
> Since it's been so long, here's a summary of what happened last time for anyone who needs it:
> 
> Jason, after going to Nico's apartment for a date night, met Reyna once again and learned that Hylla and Reyna were sisters, and that basically the two sisters had been trying to set up Jason and Nico behind their backs for a while with the help of Thalia. Then Jason and Nico went to Nico's room and Nico told Jason about losing his virginity when he was 16. He met Ganymede at an audition camp for a dance focused high school, and after they had sex Nico realized that Ganymede was intentionally sabotaging Nico's audition. Jason fell asleep at Nico's apartment by accident, and the next morning Reyna dragged them both to Friend Breakfast. The chapter ended with Nico inviting Jason to his dance recital the following weekend.

“It’s eleven,” Jason exclaimed, switching the phone from his left to his right hand as he settled down onto the couch. “Are you just now leaving campus?”

“Yeah, I was working with one of my instructors tonight. Tomorrow I teach two classes so I can only practice with him in the morning.” Nico said, and Jason could hear the exhaustion in every slurred syllable. It was Wednesday night, and other than their short interaction the previous evening, Jason and Nico had not seen each other since Sunday afternoon. For the last three days, Nico had spent nearly every moment of the day when he wasn’t actively in class dancing. Jason wasn’t even completely sure Nico had been doing his homework. He didn’t know much about dancing, but he wondered if Nico’s brutal schedule was a little excessive. Jason tried not to worry too hard.

“How are you feeling about your performance thingy?” Jason asked, embarrassingly under-informed about the finer points of dance terminology.

“Well, I’m performing in two different categories—contemporary and ballet. The dances all have a pretty different feel to them, and I’m trying to make sure they are both equally performance ready.”

“Sounds tough.”

“My instructor thinks I’m ready, but… there’s no harm in being even more ready.”

“Just don’t exhaust yourself so much that you have no energy left on Friday. Did you eat dinner tonight?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Well…”

“Nico,” Jason chided. “How many meals have you skipped this week in favor of practicing?”

“I’ve just been busy. I forget sometimes. I’m fine. I’ll eat something when I get home.”

“Uh huh, you better. Text me a picture to prove it.”

“You’re as bad as Reyna,” he sighed. “It’s like you guys forget that I have survived the last nineteen plus years just fine.”

“So young,” Jason teased lightheartedly. “Little teenage dancer boy.”

“Gross, that makes me sound fifteen or something. You’re not even that much older than me, you know. I’ll be twenty in a few months.”

“Oh? When is your birthday?”

“Not important.”

“Oh Nico, Nico, Nico,” Jason said, “I’ll find out some way or another.”

“I’m sure you will. Your persistency is shocking.”

“I miss you,” Jason admitted, startling even himself with the sudden outburst. Nico di Angelo had a way of pulling words out of Jason without trying.

It was true, though. He wanted Nico to be with him at his apartment, not walking home from campus. Yesterday they’d only shared a few flirtatious words. Jason wanted another night spent kissing in Nico’s bed. Wanted to wake up with Nico beside him. Wanted to feel his leg brushing against Nico’s during friend breakfast.

Basically, Jason wanted the weekend to come faster. And, if he was lucky, he hoped that it might go as well as the previous one had.

“You’re so lame,” Nico informed him.

“Why am I lame?” Jason pouted.

“I saw you yesterday and I am going to see you again tomorrow. And on Friday. How do you even have a chance to miss me?”

“Yesterday barely counts. It’s like, it’s like staring at this really amazing thing that you want to have but every time you try to get to it there is this stupid fucking glass wall and a bunch of uptight suburban moms in your way.”

“I wouldn’t know, I’m on the side of the wall that _isn’t_ see-through.”

“Well now you’re making me sound greedy,” Jason protested.

“Your words, not mine. Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’m about to be home and _someone_ was very adamant about eating.”

Jason sighed, “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow. Oh, and I miss you, too.” He hung up immediately. Jason imagined the dancer wore a pleased smirk on his face right about then.

Why couldn’t it be tomorrow yet?

 

…

 

_Sweat drops clung to Nico’s hair like morning dew on grass, but he had not bothered to shake it away. What would be the point? Nico would only get more sweaty as he practiced._

_And he would certainly be practicing for quite a while, yet. Nico made a face at his appearance in the mirrored wall before crossing the room to restart his music, stepping carefully over his backpack so as not to trip. Because that would just be lovely, twisting his ankle just days before a big performance._

_The song started and Nico quickly moved back toward the middle of the room, finding his starting position. During his last run-through, he’d slipped up and given his pirouette less rotations than planned. A frustrating mistake for someone like Nico, who made so few mistakes._

_He wasn’t killing himself with rehearsals for nothing, after all._

_Nico cleared his mind of all thoughts and let the music carry him through the routine._

_“Don’t you ever go home?” A familiar voice inquired, ripping Nico from his music halfway through the routine._

_Nico stumbled slightly and turned to glare at the blond boy in the doorway. “Dammit, Octavian. You scared me.”_

Nico lost his balance, his palms hitting the mirrors with a violent thud.

“Get out of my head,” he whispered under his breath.

Octavian was out of Nico’s life. A relic from the past. Nico was not the same oblivious kid he’d been at age seventeen, and he didn’t have time for the ghosts of his past to come haunt him. Not the day before a recital. Not when Nico was finally actually starting to feel happy again.

The problem was, the two things that Nico most associated with Octavian—dancing and relationships—had been on his mind even more than usual the past few days.

_Jason doesn’t even know the truth. Not really. Maybe he has ideas about it, but he doesn’t really know._

He dragged his fingers through his sweat-slicked hair, wrenching it loose from the small ponytail he’d made earlier.

_I should tell him,_ Nico admitted to himself, even though the thought of telling Jason was equally as appealing as swallowing a fist-sized rock. Actually, Nico felt as if he already had—as if his stomach was full of fist-sized stones.

“Hey stranger,” someone said. Nico looked up and there was Octavian in the doorway.

_No, no,_ he realized. Not Octavian. Jason. Of course it was Jason and not Octavian. Nico needed to get a grip.

“Hey yourself,” he hoped his voice did not sound as shaky as he felt. “What are you doing back here? I literally saw you an hour ago. Also how did you get in? The studio is closed.”

A small, energetic redhead bounced out from behind him. Artemis, of course. “I let him in. He was standing outside looking like a lost puppy. Hot Uncle just can’t get enough,” she smirked.

Jason looked more than a little flustered. It was then that Nico noticed the bag in his hands. “Uhhhh, I uh, brought you dinner,” he held up the bag. “I figured you probably hadn’t eaten yet, since yesterday you didn’t eat until you got home. And, well, maybe you needed a food break or something so…”

 “No one ever brings me food,” Artemis huffed. “So unfair.” The teenager crossed her arms and stepped around Jason into Nico’s studio.

“A food break sounds nice,” Nico affirmed, thinking of how he would be completely useless if he tried to practice with thoughts of Octavian still poisoning his brain. A smile burst onto Jason’s face. “Great! Sorry to disturb you while you’re practicing, by the way. I tried to text you a few minutes ago that I had something for you but you must have not been looking at your phone.”

“It’s okay, I was kind of distracted already anyway.”

“Introduce us, Nico,” Artemis insisted, a shit eating grin on her otherwise sweet face. Nico had worked with Artemis long enough to know that the sweet looking face was the illusion and the wicked smiles were her true form. Damn her. Nico could almost believe that she’d somehow managed to orchestrate this whole meeting.

“Uh, Jason, this is my coworker Artemis. Artemis, this is my… um, this is Jason?” The introduction came out more question-like than Nico had intended. He wasn’t sure what he had originally intended to say. Surely not boyfriend, Jason was _not_ Nico’s boyfriend. But calling Jason just his friend would have also sounded weird. _This is my… guy I am dating, maybe exclusively? We haven’t actually talked about that but I think we are kind of exclusive by default since we are both so lame? He’s obviously super hot and he likes me a lot but I don’t know if I am ready to be in a full relationship yet because my last one was kind of sort of totally emotionally scarring?_

Yeah, yeah he totally should have gone with that.

“Hi there,” she said with a wave. “Hard to believe this is the first time we’re meeting, since you seem to like hanging around here so much.”

“Yeah, I haven’t met any of the other instructors before. Nice to meet you,” Jason greeted, polite and charming as he probably was to most people. Nico had to constantly remind himself that Jason wasn’t always such an adorable dork. He was the handsome nice guy that everyone wanted to bring home to meet their parents. Okay, well maybe not in Nico’s case. The thought of Jason meeting his father made him feel a little woozy. Or maybe he was woozy because he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“Bleh, ignore her, show me this food,” Nico encouraged, pulling Jason by the wrist into his studio and giving Artemis a fierce warning look.

“So rude,” she pouted, backing out of the room nonetheless. “I’ll be in my room and I better not hear any suspicious noises coming from in here. Little girls dance on this floor.”

Jason looked like he wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

“Shut up,” Nico chided, shutting the door tightly after her.

“I didn’t know what you would want, so I played it safe and picked up this grilled chicken dish from that little restaurant by campus with colorful menus,” Jason said, redirecting the subject.

“That’s perfect, don’t worry. I would eat anything at this point.”

Jason smiled and dropped a quick kiss onto Nico’s lips. It was over before Nico could even consider kissing back. “I knew you’d be hungry!” he said, sitting cross-legged on the floor like one of Nico’s students. Nico couldn’t help but smile affectionately at him as he, too, sat down on the wooden floor.

“So this wasn’t an excuse to see me more?”

Jason placed his hand over his heart. “I am _appalled,_ Nico. I can’t just do this selfless thing for you because I’m nice?”

“I’m willing to accept that you had multiple motives,” Nico chuckled, opening his foil to-go container. The smell of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables rose to Nico’s nose and his stomach almost punched through his skin to get to the food faster. Jason’s timing truly could have not been more perfect.

“Okay, you got me, I did consider just dropping the food off and leaving but I wanted to see your face longer.

“There, that’s more believable.” He realized that he hadn’t stopped smiling since Jason got there. Nico almost couldn’t believe how effortless being happy felt whenever Jason was around, like happiness was just something that could strike at any time, without Nico having to struggle and strive for it. Jason smiled back at Nico, and it was a smile that only gave, that didn’t take. It was a smile offered freely to Nico, and he accepted it wholeheartedly.

“It’s weird being here when there aren’t any kids around,” Jason said, probably because he realized he and Nico had just been idiotically grinning at each other.

“Artemis is essentially a kid,” he joked, almost wishing the teenager could hear it, but also not wanting her anywhere near their conversation. “She’s in high school, still. And she acts like a middle schooler half the time.”

“Oh, do you two not get along?” Jason asked, glancing in the direction of the door.

“Oh no, we do. She’s like a little sister, part of my dance family, as she puts it.”

The blond laughed. “What’s your dance family?”

“Her older brother is a dancer too. He’s actually a choreographer who works at the dance school at Berkeley, and he kind of took me under his wing last year. Actually, he’s the reason I got this job. Between work and school there’s always one sibling around to bother me. So I’ve been unofficially adopted into their family.”

“Real siblings, roommate siblings, dance siblings, that’s a lot of people looking out for you,” Jason commented.

“I don’t know why everyone tries to take care of me so hard,” he shrugged, “I must look and act pretty pathetic.” He took a bite of the chicken.

“Not at all,” Jason said, his eyes moving over Nico’s body once, “Everyone must just adore you and want to look out for you, not that I blame them.”

He blushed. “Don’t get any ideas and start brother zoning yourself or I swear to God—”

That made Jason laugh even harder. “ _Trust me,_ Nico, I don’t want to be your brother.”

Nico set his dinner to the side and maneuvered himself onto Jason’s lap. “Good,” he whispered, sealing their lips together. Jason let out a small, pleased sound, and drew Nico in close. Their kiss, while more intimate than the brief one earlier, only lasted a handful of seconds. Nico couldn’t allow himself to get too wound up with his recital only a day away.

“You’re such a distraction,” he sighed, breaking the kiss but allowing Jason’s hands to remain on his hips.

“I’m sorry?” Jason attempted, his eyes staring into Nico’s.

“I’d believe it if you didn’t look so pleased with yourself.”

In response, Jason eased Nico off of him. “Look, I can behave. Can you?”

Nico bit down on his lip. He had half a mind to drag Jason into the supply closet and have his way with him. So many things he would do, so many things he’d let Jason do to _him._

His desire for Jason had only been growing recently. If the guy was anyone other than Jason, Nico would probably feel more alarmed. As it stood, Nico was more frustrated than anything.

His eyes must have said it all, because Jason’s laugh was a little uneasy this time. “So what you’re saying is, I need to behave for the both of us?”

“Your words, not mine,” Nico smirked.

“Believe it or not, I didn’t come here with the _intention_ of throwing off your focus.”

“Then you shouldn’t have worn those jeans,” Nico informed him, willing himself not to blush. Really, he had to get past this flustered embarrassed stage with Jason sooner or later.

Jason, however, couldn’t seem to help himself. A flush of color covered the upper part of his cheeks. “Well then you shouldn’t be wearing anything you’re wearing right now,” he retorted, only seeming to realize the suggestive nature of his words after they’d been uttered.

“I mean like, you shouldn’t be wearing that outfit, I wasn’t referring to you taking off all of your clothes, that would be creepy of me to say, yeah? And I mean, that would _certainly_ be more distracting than the leggings. Um, ignore me. Erase the last thirty seconds from your memory.”

Nico’s responding laugh shook his whole body, and as Jason joined in, the sexual tension permeating the space dissipated.

“We are both so smooth,” Nico joked.

“Smoother than silk.”

“Smoother than an unopened jar of peanut butter.”

“Smoother than rose petals.”

“Smoother than baby skin.” Nico’s eyes widened. “WAIT. That sounds really awkward and perverted.”

“Yeah, you’re nasty, stay the hell away from me,” Jason teased. Nico pressed his lips to Jason’s once more.

“Not gonna happen, sorry. I don’t make the rules you know.”

“Yes you do,” Jason smirked. “We had a pretty in-depth conversation about it.”

“Hmm, you’re right. Well then I guess we’ll have to chalk this up to a personal choice. You’re stuck with me.”

“Good,” Jason said in a low, warm voice. Nico melted into him and kissed him for as long as he dared.

Later, once Jason had gone, Artemis’s shockingly red head popped back into the room.

“Hot Uncle left without taking you right there on the floor? I’m shocked.”

“You know, for someone with no interest in sexual relations or men, you sure seem to be interested in _my_ sexual relations with men.”

Artemis stepped into the room. “Work is boring without it, what can I say? Whenever I go down the hall to talk to Iris, she just tells me all about how being a raw vegan is a life changing experience.”

Nico snorted. He wasn’t exactly friends with the other teachers at Olympic, but Artemis seemed to flat out dislike them all, Nico excepted.

“Still, whenever Jason comes around in the future, please do _not_ terrorize him. He already has to deal with my insane friends.”

“Oh, please. I have some class and self-control. Can’t say the same about Apollo.” She smirked. “Speaking of, how has practice been going with him this week. My big bro working you extra hard?”

“I don’t get him at all,” said Nico, “he’s such an—an idiot most of the time but then when it’s time to dance he’s more technical than most brain surgeons.”

“Sounds about right,” she nodded, “You gonna come let me see your performance tomorrow?”

“You see it every time you pass by this room,” Nico reminded her.

“That’s not the same!” she huffed. “I’m covering your hip hop shift, you owe me one.”

“Shelve that IOU for the time being, they aren’t redeemable within the same day, sorry. Rules are rules,” he shrugged at the redheaded teen.

“You’re no fun,” she whined.

“Never have been.”

“Okay, well, Apollo already told me I could go sooo… see you tomorrow! Bye!” Artemis bolted from the room.

“Then you’re covering my Friday shift next week, too!” Nico yelled.

In twenty-four hours, Jason Grace would walk into an auditorium with Artemis, Apollo, Hazel, the better part of Nico’s peers and… and Nico didn’t even want to think about who else. It could be a good night, maybe. More likely, it would be a disaster.

He met his own gaze in the mirror and straightened his posture. That was an issue for tomorrow. For now, it was only Nico in the room. Nico, and the mirrors, and the music.

 

…

 

When Jason stepped into the auditorium the following night, his first instinct was to scan the room for Reyna. Nico would be backstage, unfortunately, and Jason would not see that beautiful face until it was under a spotlight on the stage before him. Reyna, however, was bound to be in the assembled crowd somewhere. Jason still wasn’t sure of the girl’s feelings toward Jason, despite Nico’s reassuring words, but sitting with her would still be better than sitting alone. Maybe he could use this as a chance to get to know her better. Nico would probably like that. Hell, Jason would like it too. He wanted to be a part of Nico’s life, after all, and Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano was a massive part of that.

What he did see however, was not Reyna, but another massive part of the equation of Nico di Angelo’s life. His sister, Hazel Levesque, notable for her mass of golden brown curls, was seated alone near the aisle several rows back from the stage. _Oh gods._

Hazel might have been the only person who intimidated Jason more than Reyna, despite her sweet face and small stature. He didn’t know if he’d ever get over the initial mortification of unknowingly discussing his and Nico’s sex life right in front of her.

It did help a little, he supposed, witnessing how crude all of the others in Nico and Hazel’s friend group were. Maybe she wasn’t completely scandalized by Jason’s words? That didn’t make him less embarrassed, but it did help him feel a little more at ease as he started toward the empty seat beside her.

“Is this seat taken?” Jason asked, unintentionally startling Hazel.

“Oh! Jason!” she exclaimed, slapping her hand over her heart in a charming way. It was plain to see why Nico adored her. Everything about her was sweet and endearing. “I didn’t know you would be here.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, scratching at the back of his head. “Nico invited me after friend freakfast on Sunday. Can I sit with you?”

It took her a minute to respond, which made Jason fidget even more. Why was she looking at him like he had walked over to her on his hands rather than his feet? “Yes, of course,” she said, just when Jason felt like he was about to combust. He tried to disguise his relief as he took the seat beside Nico’s younger sister.

He wasn’t sure why, but he thought she would say more. Or maybe he was supposed to say something? It was awkwardly silent as Jason took a seat. Well, who knew, maybe it wasn’t awkward for Hazel, but it certainly was for Jason. Hazel’s opinion of him mattered as much, if not more, than Reyna’s. Thalia loved Nico to pieces without Nico even having to try. Jason would think it wasn’t fair, if Nico wasn’t so damn likable.

“So where are the others?” Jason asked, when it became clear Hazel had nothing in particular to add.

“Not here,” she said, in a very casual way. “Nico doesn’t usually let people come see him, besides me and sometimes Reyna. He’s really weird about it.”

“Oh,” Jason said, his heartbeat increasing at a startling rate. Jason had—he had sort of figured that coming to Nico’s recital was no big deal. Well, certainly it was a big deal to Jason, who jumped on any opportunity available to see Nico. But not to the dancer who performed in front of people so regularly. As Jason realized the implications of Nico’s invitation, he flushed with embarrassment. _That_ was why Hazel was confused when she saw him.

“I guess Nico must really like you,” she grinned. “Congratulations.”

“I don’t know if I am worthy of being here, now,” he admitted, wringing his hands.

“Apparently my brother thinks you are. If he didn’t want you to be here, he would let you know. _Trust me._ Will and Percy tried to go to his spring recital last semester without asking and after it was done, Nico screamed at them.”

“Does Eros not perform in these things?”

“Oh, he does. There are two nights of performances though. Eros doesn’t dance until tomorrow. Lucky for Nico.”

“So it’s just you and me?” He repeated, still trying to believe it himself.

“Yup. The wolves are tucked away in their caves,” she said, then smiled.

He managed a small, nervous laugh. Hazel raised an eyebrow. For the first time, Jason noticed a family resemblance between the girl and her brother. They both got the same look on their faces when Jason’s foolishness amused them. “You look _so_ at ease.”

“Don’t know—” Jason brought his voice back down to its normal register, “don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m—I’m cool as a… leaf?” Fuck, no, that wasn’t how the saying went at all.

Jason was ready to get up and move to a dark corner, until Hazel giggled girlishly into her hand and smiled in a warm, unintimidating way at him. “Oh Jason. You poor thing. You don’t have to be so tense. I’m not _Reyna,_ I’m not trying to keep you on your toes or anything.”

_You’re his_ actual _sister though,_ Jason tried to communicate with his eyes.

“I have my own way of going about things. Reyna thinks the only way to see what someone is made of is to get them up on a table and cut them open. That’s just not me. You’d have to do a lot worse to see my scary side. But I’m honored that what I think of you matters so much to you. A lot of people would ignore the little sister.”

“But Nico adores you,” Jason said, finding his voice once more.

“I know. But I’m… only his half-sister. So people like to overlook me sometimes.”

With those few words, Jason knew Hazel officially had him wrapped around her finger. “That’s bullshit. Who tries to overlook you?”

The girl shrugged. “It’s no longer important.” The way she said it made Jason wonder if the “people” she referred to was a general term, or if there was someone specific she had in mind.

Jason smiled gently and held out a hand to her. “In that case, you properly got to introduce yourself at friend breakfast last week but I never did. I’m Jason Grace.”

Her smile could have been its own light source. “Pleased to meet you, Jason. Officially.”

By the time the lights dimmed for the beginning of the recital, Jason was startled to realize that he and Hazel had been talking for over ten minutes. She’d told him about her decision to come to Berkeley, meeting Frank for the first time, her art, her goals for college. Jason told her about Thalia and Zoë and his coursework as a grad student. Talking with Hazel was surprisingly easy after what Jason had gone through with friend breakfast on Sunday. He decided he liked her a lot. Nico would certainly be happy when he heard.

And speaking of Nico…

After a handful of performances that admittedly blurred together for Jason from dancers who were certainly talented but also not Nico di Angelo, it was Nico’s turn to go up. Jason’s heart hammered in anticipation—harder even than it usually did when Jason knew he would get to see Nico. Because this… this was a side of Nico he’d only been allowed to get small glimpses of. Pieces of choreography performed at the studio, years old videos that could only partially capture Nico’s grace and beauty.

The dark haired dancer, clad in all black, glided onto the stage. Jason bit down on his lip.

_He looks so different,_ Jason thought, and it wasn’t just because of the makeup lining his eyes. It ran deeper than that. The same body, the same boy, but with a different sort of seriousness on his face, a different posture, a different aura of power around him. If Jason were a dancer, he would be… afraid. Even from the audience he felt sort of intimidated. More than sort of. He swallowed hard.

Hazel sent Jason a sideways glance and smirked as if she could hear his every thought. _You’re in for it,_ her eyes seemed to say.

The energy in the whole auditorium changed. People sat up straighter in their seats, captivated by Nico’s presence. Everyone was under his spell before the music even started. And that only seemed to make Nico’s confidence grow, make him more powerful.

A small smirk flashed across Nico’s lips and then the music started. The effect of it sucked the breath from between Jason’s lips. All of the oxygen in the room was stolen by Nico as he started to move to the song’s introduction. The beat was edgy, fast, and would have probably been familiar to Jason if he could get his brain working. As it was, Jason was immediately overwhelmed by Nico’s performance. He didn’t know enough about dancing to know the names of the moves, or to know which ones were the most challenging. It all looked hard to him, and all seemed effortless to Nico.

_Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree?_ the lyrics proclaimed, and Jason felt like the song was created solely to taunt him.

He thought the dance must be considered some form of contemporary, based off of how Nico danced.

_I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody’s looking for something._

The choreography felt sharp and fluid at the same time, which Jason didn’t think should be possible. And yet… yet there Nico was.

Even to a dance idiot like Jason, there was a story to the routine. Nico, powerful and fearless, Nico at the top of his game and still somehow getting stronger. Nico as he fought back those who tried to tear him down, tried to belittle him.

_Some of them want to use you  
_ _Some of them want to get used by you_  
Some of them want to abuse you  
Some of them want to be abused

Imaginary arms tried to take control, to turn Nico into their puppet, but nothing could keep him down. Nico was untouchable. Indestructible. He was as much of a force of nature as a thunderstorm or an earthquake. He was a hurricane on the stage.

_Hold your head up_  
Keep your head up, movin’ on  
Hold your head up, movin’ on

Nico jumped through the air, threw himself to the ground and rose swiftly, rolled and tumbled. His dance moves worked together to make Nico look like he was pulsing. Like his body belonged to the music. No, like the music belonged to his body.

It was more than the choreography, too. Nico’s expression was as much a part of the performance as the dancing itself. The story lived in Nico’s eyes and the set of his mouth. A song like this one shouldn’t feel so passionate, so intimate, but Jason was starting to realize that different rules applied when you were Nico di Angelo.

When the music ended, it was like the floor being ripped out from under Jason’s feet. He was hurtled back to reality against his will. People were clapping. How did Jason work his arms again? He managed it, though it took a few seconds longer than it should have. Hazel cheered loudly, and Jason froze as Nico turned to look at them. Not normal Nico, either. This was still scary hot dancer boy. He acknowledged Hazel with a small nod and then glanced at Jason, whose mouth had gone bone dry. Another small smirk from Nico, and Jason leaned back in his seat to try and catch his breath.

What the hell even was Nico di Angelo? Jason was beginning to get the feeling he didn’t know the dancer as well as he thought.

“That was…” he said, turning to Hazel as Nico left the stage to continued applause.

“Crazy, huh? You almost wouldn’t believe it’s Nico up there. Reyna jokes that he must have a twin brother who dances for him.”

Jason thought he knew that. He’d seen from day one how Nico had a different energy to him when he danced. He hadn’t realized, though, just how deep the differences were. The Nico that had danced on that stage would never stumble over his words, never blush with embarrassment, never do something as normal as eat breakfast with a table full of friends and laugh at stupid jokes. The Nico that had danced on the stage had seemed more likely to tap dance across Jason’s face than to spend a night kissing him.

That Nico radiated sex appeal. Invented sex appeal. Jason would let that Nico have his way with him over and over and over again, probably. But if the last two months had taught Jason anything, it was that he felt much more comfortable and natural around the other Nico. Nico the college student. Nico the mortal.

And he thought he understood why Nico didn’t let most of his friends watch him dance. What would they think? What would they say?

The obvious question, then, was what set Jason apart? Why had Nico allowed Jason to see what he denied to those who likely knew him far better? And what was Jason supposed to make of all of this?

The questions distracted him until it was time for Nico to dance again. He’d changed into another all black outfit, and his eyes were still lined with the dark pencil that made Jason’s palms sweat.

Everyone stilled once again.

The second dance was undoubtedly ballet, but it looked nothing like the other ballet performances that had come before it. Jason had always, perhaps stupidly, thought of ballet as a gentle art. A pretty, dainty sort of dancing. Sugar Plum fairies and the like.

Nico looked like a dark angel falling from heaven. Jason’s heart raced just watching him. For four whole minutes, no one in the auditorium breathed. If someone were to turn off the music, there would not be a single sound in the whole room. Jason doubted even Nico’s feet were making any noise. Silent, lithe, dangerous. Nico di Angelo.

Jason realized that it was definitely possible to be scared and aroused at the same time.

And also, confused.

So, so confused.

 

…

 

After everyone had finished their performances, the dancers were allowed to go into the crowd and mingle. This was arguably the most important part of the night, as scouts from different dance companies in the area were known to show up looking for new talent. Getting your foot in the right door could mean the difference between having a successful career after college and peaking as a choreographer for middle school musicals.

Nico had always been the type to grab a lot of attention at dance recitals and competitions. It had been exciting when he was younger. People cheered the loudest after his performances, talent scouts gave him their cards, he was invited to summer dance camps all around the country, everyone talked about him. By the time he was a teenager, though, it had gotten old.

It seemed like the more the audience loved you, the fewer friends you made among competitors. And the audience _really_ loved Nico.

It wasn’t that Nico’s fellow dancers were outright hostile to him—though there _were_ a few notable exceptions—but they weren’t very friendly either. It was like Nico didn’t exist to them. He was a competitor to all, but a friend to nearly no one. Nico wasn’t good at making friends in general, but with dancers it was especially hard. He wasn’t one of them, no matter what he did.

Nico often wondered if they would like him more if he ever failed. The nicest his competitors had ever been to him was during the statewide competition senior year of high school, when a confrontation before going on stage had caused Nico to choke up in the middle of his routine and stopped him from winning a medal.

If having friends in the dance world meant failing, however, Nico would rather go without friends. He’d come to that conclusion the hard way. Let them think he had no life outside of dance, that he was a teacher’s pet, that he was a sociopath or whatever the latest rumor was. Nico had struggled for too long to give up and get discouraged.

Besides, he wasn’t utterly friendless in dance. There was Eros, of course, though the French boy mainly focused in ballet and thus only shared some of Nico’s classes. There was Apollo, his choreographer. He wasn’t sure if that friendship counted, but at least it gave Nico someone to talk to.

Apollo was the first to greet him as he stepped down from the stage into the auditorium.

“Ugh, Nico darling, you were upsettingly perfect tonight. I don’t know what to do with you.”

“Thanks,” Nico said, already subtly scanning the moving crowd for another blond head. Jason. _Jason._ What had he thought of Nico’s performances? There were no winners at a showcase like this, but Nico had still been extremely nervous earlier that day when he thought about performing, and that had to do entirely with Jason Grace. Unlike Nico’s dancing peers, he actually _did_ care what Jason thought of him. As much as he hated to admit it, he cared a whole lot.

“If you’re looking for the scouts, they’re all already asking about you. Might as well go make your rounds and tell them _again_ that you’re not interested in dropping out of college to go pro.”

Nico nodded, still looking for Jason and Hazel. Was it good or alarming that they’d been sitting together?

“If you’re looking for the smoking hot guy here with your sister, they’re standing off to the left of the stage talking to Artemis, I think.”

Nico, still halfway in serious dancer mode, managed not to blush.

“I wasn’t—”

“You were. You very much were, my friend. I’m insulted you haven’t mentioned him to me before.”

“There is nothing to say,” Nico lied. Ah, there was Jason. Nico startled when he realized that his electric blue eyes had already been on Nico. How long had Jason been watching him? When he realized Nico had caught him, Jason smiled bashfully and gave a small wave.

Artemis’s eyes followed the direction of Jason’s wave until she spotted Nico and Apollo. She started to wave with embarrassing enthusiasm. She thought Nico’s status as a top dancer was mildly hilarious. Of course, she also knew what Nico was really like, so he supposed she was in the right. Nico di Angelo was one big joke. 

Or technically maybe two big jokes. Both sides of him.

“Well let’s not just stand and stare, hmm?” Apollo elbowed him lightly.

Nico took a deep breath and tried to breathe in his normal self. The breath was shallower than he wanted, like someone was sitting on his chest to prevent the expansion of his lungs. As he exhaled, he attempted to push the dancer persona out and away from him. It would have been a lot easier if he were not still surrounded by his dancer peers. Nico-At-Ease felt a little too vulnerable for these near strangers to see.

Especially not when so many of them, even Nico’s own classmates, secretly wanted to see him fall apart.

Again.

_I’m not that boy anymore,_ Nico reminded himself. _I left him in high school._

Unable to find a middle ground between the Nico he was around Jason and the Nico he was around his peers, Nico held on to the latter, squared his shoulders, and started toward the group with Apollo at his heels.

 

…

 

Nico di Angelo was hot. Over the past few months, that had become a pretty plain fact of Jason’s existence. He should have been used to it. More than used to it.

And yet, the truth of it struck him _again_ as Nico approached. Nico was _hot._ It was even more obvious now that Nico was coming toward him, and not a safe distance away under some stage lights. Eyeliner, what a fucking concept. And his _clothes._ Jason could not believe that Nico di Angelo invented tight pants.

If Jason bit his lip any harder, would it start bleeding? _Come on Grace, release. Release._

“Hey,” he said in a voice that was too breathy to be casual. He wanted to punch himself in the face for sounding so idiotic. It was just Nico. Last week they’d shared a bed.

Actually, maybe Jason shouldn’t think about beds when Nico looked like… looked like…  looked like he did right at that moment.

“Hey,” Nico said, sounding at least 150% cooler than Jason had. Jason wished he had some ‘confident and suave’ switch that _he_ could just turn on. “Did you enjoy the show?”

_Fucking fuck me fuck fcuk what fuuuck_

“Yes?” Jason said, not meaning to make it sound like a question. Hazel giggled into her palm.

“Hi,” a voice behind Nico said, and that was the first time that Jason tore his eyes away from Nico since he’d reappeared after the end of the show. He took in the sight of a blond guy, probably a few years older than Jason and an inch or two shorter. His skin was bronze and his smile glowed white and his hair had a natural curl to it that made him look sort of like a god that Jason might learn about in class. If Nico didn’t seem to live in some “Anti-Hot Guys Except Jason” universe, Jason might have passed out from anxiety. The man was that gorgeous.

“I’m Apollo,” Gorgeous Guy said, because _of course_ that was his name. He slid around Nico to shake Jason’s hand. “I’m one of Nico’s choreographers. And Atremis’s better in every way big brother.”

Artemis made a scoffing noise.  “He’s known for his modesty,” she added.

“Jason,” Jason said, glad that the choreographer’s beauty did not leave him shaken in the same way that Nico’s did.

“Nico never mentioned he had a boyfriend,” Apollo said, pretending to be scandalized. Or Jason thought he was pretending, at least.

“Um—” he shot a panicked look to Nico, which was a mistake because Nico still looked like sexual desire wrapped in human skin. “I’m not his—” Nico and Jason hadn’t discussed what they were to each other since the night of the art exhibit. Awkward. Very awkward.

“Oh?” Apollo looked, not to Nico, but over Jason’s shoulder at Artemis and Hazel. They exchanged some sort of a look. Jason considered running for the door. “My mistake. Just friends, then?”

“Apollo,” Nico sighed. “Don’t be a pain. For once. And Jason, you don’t have to keep shaking his hand you know.”

_What?_

Jason looked down. Oh, oh fucking embarrassing. He dropped Apollo’s hand quickly and stepped back. Nico, stepping between Apollo and Jason, looked mildly displeased. He looked at Jason for a moment, smirked, then angled his head toward Hazel. “Late dinner?”

“Sure, whatever you and Jason want.”

“What? Me and Blondie aren’t invited?” Artemis laughed.

“Never. Never ever.” Nico teased back, patting Artemis on the head. “Sorry Artemis, you cashed in your IOU already.”

“Okay, I see how it is. I’ll remember that when you inevitably try to make me cover that extra shift so you can go out with your Not-Boyfriend Jason.”

“And I’ll remember it when I plan this week’s schedule for class,” Apollo added. “Come on Artemis, I’ll drive you home. Maybe Mom will be excited to see her favorite child.”

“She sees me literally every day,” Artemis said, going up to her brother and flicking his arm. Jason, of course, only saw this in his periphery vision, as his attention was focused on closer, sexier things with dark hair and killer smiles.

“Nice meeting you, Jason!” Apollo said before the siblings departed. “Hazel dear, you continue to be my favorite di Angelo.”

“I appreciate that.” Hazel giggled again.

“One day I am going to make some friends who I don’t want to strangle on a daily basis,” Nico said, smiling in a non-seductive manner as he looked between Hazel and Jason. “So really, what did you guys think? I was pretty happy with how my performances went, though I maybe did my first one better once in rehearsal the other day.”

“You were amazing, as always. I’m glad Jason came so now someone can back me up and it won’t just be my opinion against yours.”

“Yes, amazing,” Jason said, taking the cue to support her. “I’ve… never seen you dance like that.” He still wasn’t sure how to speak to the Nico that stood before him. In some ways, Nico reminded Jason of how he was during Zoë’s dance lessons. But if that was Nico intensity level say, five, then this was intensity level ten. Did this Nico have time for flustered nerdy grad students who couldn’t form normal sentences?

“Glad I invited two people who are totally un-biased,” Nico said, but with a smile. Jason relaxed a tiny bit.

“Your ending in the second piece was a little sloppy, if you must know,” a new voice to the left said. Jason didn’t know the voice, but the sudden complete change on Nico’s face suggested that he did. Jason was momentarily glad the person was at Nico’s back, and not his front. He didn’t think Nico wanted to be seen in such a way. By the time Nico turned, his face was guarded, but the tension in his shoulders hinted at whatever feeling stirred within.

The voice belonged to a guy who was probably Nico’s age. He was tall and lean—the sort of guy who had maybe been gangly in his earlier teenage years, but had gotten his act together some time ago and now had the sort of poise Jason could never dream of achieving. The dark brown hair and smattering of freckles would have given him a gentle appearance, but the calculating coldness of his green eyes wiped away any possibility of kindness. Beside Jason, Hazel had also stilled.

Jason did not like where this was going.

“Alabaster,” the word left Nico’s mouth like an insult, but Jason figured it was probably the newcomer’s name.

Alabaster. Jason had never heard Nico mention an Alabaster, but it was plain to see the two were not friends. Jason had never wanted to hit a guy he’d just met before, but his fists balled involuntarily at his sides. He didn’t like the look of this Alabaster guy. He didn’t like the way he spoke to Nico. Didn’t like how Hazel and Nico had both reacted to him.

“What brings you here? Your conservatory in San Francisco not keeping an overwhelming talent like yourself busy?”

“Jealous, di Angelo? I would say that’s unlike you but…” Alabaster sighed. “I’m just scoping out the competition for State. Turns out I have nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe you couldn’t see, what with your head being so far up your ass and everything,” Hazel said, stepping forward suddenly. Nico threw out an arm in front of her to stop her from… from Jason didn’t know what. He’d never heard Hazel swear before. Never seen her angry.

“Hazel, always a pleasure,” Alabaster tilted his head at the seething girl. “I’m not surprised to see you followed your brother to college. He loves letting the women in his life fight his battles for him. What’s your eternally angry best friend’s name again, Nico? Rebecca?”

Jason _definitely_ wanted to punch him.

“Hey,” he said. “Why don’t you get lost, yeah? Don’t be a dick.” It was a marvel that Jason’s voice came out sounding at all steady.

Alabaster, a snakelike smile spreading over his lips, looked up at Jason for the first time. “Now, I’m almost certain I haven’t seen _you_ around before. Did Nico finally get tired of crying over Octavian? I’m honestly fucking shocked.”

Nico tensed further. His entire body had gone _rigid._

“We’re done here,” Nico said, grabbing Jason’s arm tightly and tugging him along past Alabaster. “Come on, Hazel.”

“Did I strike a nerve? You don’t want your Octavian replacement and everyone else here to know what a fucking mess you are?”

Jason wished he understood half of what was going on, but his confusion did not mute his anger. Maybe it was for the best Nico was dragging him away. Jason didn’t think he was the sort to be moved to violence, but now he felt more than a little persuaded to change that.

“Slowly ease down onto a chainsaw, Alabaster,” Hazel said as she passed.

Jason did not ask any questions as he was led from the auditorium. Nico did not relax, even when the cool late fall air filled their lungs and the stars hung overhead.

“You okay?” Jason whispered when Nico finally stumbled to a stop on the sidewalk.

“Yeah, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s eat, okay?”

 

…

 

Jason didn’t ask about it at dinner.

He didn’t ask about it in the car as he dropped Hazel off at her dorm.

“You want to come over?” Jason asked once they saw Hazel safely within the front door of her building.

“Yeah,” Nico said. He’d started to come back into himself more at dinner, but slowly. The persona he’d built up during his recital was long gone, but Jason couldn’t quite call Nico his usual self either. Still, they were about to get alone time together. Good, real alone time not in a dance studio, not cramped into a few spare minutes of the day. Maybe things would become more normal once they could actually _talk._

Nico remained quiet for the ten minute drive from campus to Jason’s apartment. However, every time Jason looked over at him and expected to find him distant or upset or perhaps tired, Nico had a deeply thoughtful look on his face. Something had been weighing on his mind since they left the recital. Jason gave him room to think.

When they stepped into Jason’s apartment, Jason pressed a kiss to Nico’s cheek. It was the most affection he’d shown him yet that day, and if Nico still didn’t look so deep in thought, Jason would have started to kiss his mouth as well.

But no, he would be patient. “You can shower, if you want. I’ll wait out here.”

“Gods above, yes.”

Jason smiled gently at Nico as he retreated into the bathroom. _That_ had sounded more like his Nico. Or, no, the Nico that he usually was around Jason. Not Jason’s Nico. As Apollo had so kindly called attention to earlier, Jason wasn’t even Nico’s boyfriend.

When Nico got out of the shower, his eyeliner was gone and his hair clung wetly to his forehead, and Jason found that Nico looked no less appealing like this. Jason burned with the desire to cross the distance between them and kiss Nico without a word. Another day, he might have. But Jason knew too well what happened if he let his desires take over around Nico when conversations still needed to be had. Instead, he took Nico’s hands and led him to the couch. They fell onto it unceremoniously.

“Okay, ask me about it,” Nico sighed.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about.”

“No, it’s fine. If we’re going to keep… doing this, then you need to know the truth about my past. What you’re getting into.”

Jason’s chest constricted. He knew that Nico’s past was a sore spot for him, but only then did he really start to wonder what Nico had left to tell him. What was harder to talk about than the murder of your mother and losing your virginity to a vindictive dick?

“Okay. Who was that guy? Alabaster.”

“I’ve known him for years. He’s a dancer. We’re not friends, obviously. He’s good friends with my ex.”

“And your ex… that was the guy he mentioned, I guess? Octavian?”

Nico tensed. He didn’t meet Jason’s eyes. “Yeah.” Jason saw Nico’s lips form the word, more than heard it.

“Is Octavian… also a dancer?”

“Yeah. He goes to UCLA now. I went to high school with him.”

Jason’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth. Dread pressed into him in from all sides. He didn’t know if he wanted to ask. Didn’t know if he wanted to hear more. Didn’t know if Nico was really ready to tell him. Uncertainty was the third person in the room.

“What happened? With Octavian?” he blurted before his nerves could glue his tongue to the bottom of his mouth.

Nico let out a small breath, and met Jason’s eyes finally. “You remember what I told you last weekend, about Ganymede.” It wasn’t a question. Jason nodded. “After that, I was in a really dark place. That spring, Reyna and Bianca both graduated and moved away. Bianca and I already weren’t very close by then, but Reyna and I were. Reyna was my emotional support after everything that happened. She was the only one who I felt like I could go to with all my shit. So then in August, when she moved up here, I felt completely isolated and alone.”

“What about Hazel and Percy?”

Nico shook his head. “Percy has always been my friend, but not like Reyna. He’s got his head in the clouds most of the time. And he was a year older than me. He had swim team and athletic scholarships and other senior things to worry about. And Hazel’s my little sister. When all of this was happening, she was only fifteen. I couldn’t burden my fifteen year old sister with my life problems.”

Jason nodded. “That’s fair. I hate to think of you feeling so alone, though.”

“Actually, looking back, I wish I would have just let myself stay that way. It would have been… better. Better than what did happen.”

Jason intertwined their fingers. They were facing each other on the couch now, Jason’s legs crossed and Nico’s tucked underneath them. Nico half-smiled at their now joined hands, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m going to say a lot of stuff to you now, and it’s, uh, it’s not pretty or fun and it’s not stuff I talk about out loud like, ever. Most of my friends here don’t even know the full story so just… be patient with me, please.”

“Of course.”

“Okay,” another deep breath from Nico. “When junior year started, I felt lower than I ever had. Talking on the phone with Reyna only made me miss her more. Every time I danced I thought about what had happened over spring break, with Ganymede and the dance school and… with that whole situation. I didn’t feel comfortable around other dancers anymore. And I didn’t feel comfortable around guys in general, except for Percy and this school friend I had, Austin. Austin was actually probably my closest friend at the time. He was in a few of my classes, and he was into music, not dance. We hadn’t been good friends before Reyna graduated, and we weren’t even that close once she was gone, but I felt like I had no other choice but to try to be better friends with him. It was just kind of a school friendship though, you know? Like we would eat lunch together and study together, but we wouldn’t hang out outside of that most of the time. He was gay too, but I didn’t feel anything romantic for him. I didn’t feel anything romantic for anyone. Whenever guys would try to talk to me or flirt with me, I panicked. I’ve struggled with panic attacks for most of my life, but I was especially susceptible to them back then.

“There was a new guy in school that year. Or, kind of new. His family had moved him to New York three years prior, and then junior year they moved back. His name was Octavian. I remembered him from dance contests when I was younger. We’d never spoken though. He hadn’t gone to _my_ middle school, just one nearby.”

Jason felt as if Nico’s unease was flowing from his body to Jason’s through their joined hands. He squeezed gently.

“Octavian was different than I remembered, I suppose. He’d always been a lot taller than me, but it seemed like the rest of his body had finally grown in to match his height. He was handsome, too, but in an unusual way. His nose was kind of crooked, though I can’t remember if it was like that when we were kids or not, and he had the palest blue eyes I’d ever seen. He’s blond, too.”

“Is that why that Alabaster guy compared me to him tonight?”

Nico shrugged. “Maybe. But you’re nothing like him at all, trust me. Besides, Octavian’s hair is more of a dirty blond color. He didn’t exactly have the All American Boy look, either. He gave off a bit of the… a bit of the bad boy vibe.”

Thalia had once told Jason that he couldn’t pass for a bad boy even if he tattooed his face, bought a motorcycle, and had a cigarette perpetually hanging from his mouth.

Jason was the type of guy who drove his niece to dance class and bought her ice cream after. His undeniable “nice guy” status would have made him more insecure about the Nico situation if not for the existence of one Will Solace. For the first time ever, Jason took comfort in the fact that the last guy Nico had shown interest in was a yoga doing pre-med student, because if Nico was still into bad boys, Jason would be screwed.

“I’m glad I’m not like him,” Jason admitted. “I hate him already. On principle.”

The smile almost reached Nico’s eyes that time, but fell just as quickly.

“I knew Octavian was trouble from the first time he talked to me, but not because of who he was. Because of me. He looked kind of like a hot asshole, but he was nice to me. Appearances aren’t always deceiving. I shouldn’t have let myself get tricked like I did.”

“He got through the guy proof walls you’d put up?”

“He disintegrated them,” Nico said coldly. “But slowly, so I didn’t even know what was happening until it was way, way too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, and now, the explanation. I am sorry that this explanation as to why you all had to wait (10?) months will not be nearly satisfying enough. I do have some lame excuses though.   
> Lame excuse 1: I am a writer of two different fanfictions, so when I have time to write fanfics I can't always be working on this one.  
> Lame excuse 2: I am now in my university's creative writing program, and have cranked out probably 115 pages of work between the last two semesters. Spoiler alert: creative writing for a grade, or even worse, for a workshop full of students, is STRESSFUL. Amazing and insightful, but stressful. I spent a lot of my writing energy on the 6 short stories I completed this past school year.  
> Lame excuse 3: I live with my best friend. It's very distracting sometimes, especially because she shares all of my obsessions. Anime, other tv shows, book series, competitive figure skating (Holy shit you should all talk to me about competitive figure skating), and our theatre club.
> 
> But, the end of the semester is in sight. Only my finals are left. So I will keep working on the second half of this chapter set. Big things will be revealed in the next chapter! Questions will be answered! I can't wait. Tonight, however, I am going to go to a party for my theatre and get spectacularly drunk. Yes, I like the sound of that. Until next time, my friends. Luckily 'next time' isn't going to be ten months away... again.


	12. Two Pasts, One Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! Remember when I said this update would take a week or so? I suck. This is a chapter I have been ready to write for a long time, but actually writing it down was hard. I'll blab on and on in the end author's note. For now, I'll just remind everyone what happened in the last chapter! Jason went to Nico's dance recital and they ran into Alabaster, a dancer who knows all about Nico's past. When Jason and Nico got to Jason's apartment later that night, Nico decided it was finally time to tell Jason about his past relationship with Octavian. 
> 
> Warning: this chapter is HEAVY on emotional manipulation and unhealthy relationships. If that is really triggering for you, you can just read the last section of the chapter. 
> 
> Okay, go forth and read my lovelies. And here's to 4am updates...

**_October, 2012._ **

October in Los Angeles felt like every other month in Los Angeles. The almost non-existent seasons made time drag for Nico. Made it feel like the world itself was standing still. _How many months until Reyna comes home for winter break? Until summer? How many months till graduation? Twenty? Two thousand?_

He crossed the street away from his stupid fucking regular public high school, wondering if he would be more or less miserable at the stupid fucking Los Angeles Dance Academy.

Probably more miserable. Bryce was there, after all. But maybe Nico was only trying to convince himself that he would be more miserable there. Maybe it was easier to believe that than to regret his decision not to re-audition.

No, no, Nico was _clearly_ not wanted there. He was better where he was. He still had next to no friends, but at least Hazel was here. And Percy, when he was around. And Austin was cool. Nico could learn to live like this. Maybe.

Maybe.

He heaved a deep sigh. He had dance in an hour. He didn’t want to go. He never wanted to go as of late.

“That was an exasperated sigh if I’ve ever heard one,” a voice behind Nico said, followed by footsteps increasing in pace. Confused, Nico turned to the not-immediately-recognizable voice.

He took in the boy’s height—which was mostly in his legs—and long neck and thin but strong arms. The boy was familiar and alien at the same time. Nico knew who he was, of course. Octavian. Nico had known him several years ago, when they were both younger and more awkward. Well, to be fair, Nico was still pretty awkward. Octavian wasn’t, though. He was… not classically handsome, but striking. Intriguing. His thin lips curved into an easy smile as he looked Nico over.

They’d never spoken directly to each other. Nico did the reasonable thing. He turned his head back the right way and started walking faster.

“Hey, wait,” Octavian said, his voice something like a laugh. He walked faster too, and Nico was no match for Octavian’s long-legged pace. Really, the boy was almost too tall to be a dancer. He was, though. That was how they quasi-knew each other.

Octavian, to be fair, didn’t know that Nico just so happened to hate all dancers—and to hate male dancers in particular—as of late. Nico shot the other boy a sideways glance and said nothing. He didn’t slow his pace, but he wasn’t quite desperate enough to start running, either. Nico was already weird, he didn’t want everyone leaving school to realize just _how much_ of a freak he really was.

“Nico, right? You remember me? It’s been a few years. I was in—”

“New York. Yeah. I know.”

“Oh, you talk. That’s great!”

“Did you want something?” _Please, please don’t let him want something_ , thought Nico. He didn’t want an attractive guy to want anything from him ever again. Not after Ganymede.

“You don’t mince words, do you?” He looked around them. “Are you on your way to dance?”

“Mmhm,” Nico hummed.

“I knew you must still dance. That’s awesome. I remember you were so good. You kicked everyone’s asses in competitions when we were younger.”

Nico gave a noncommittal shrug.

“I still dance, too. I’m back at my old place. I kind of miss New York, though. People there were all like, dance geniuses. Like a whole city of Nico di Angelos.” He winked. Nico scowled.

“Did you want something?” Nico tried again.

“A friend, maybe,” Octavian definitely laughed that time. “But you don’t seem that interested, do you?”

“Don’t you have friends? You lived here for years.”

“Not _here_ here. Most of my middle school friends are at AHS. And you’re one of the only guy dancers who goes to Goode.”

“I have friends, sorry.”

“You do? I only ever see you talk to that Austin Lake guy.”

“Yes, he’s my friend.”

Octavian hit his forehead. “Sorry, that was really dickish of me to say, wasn’t it? Sometimes I say stupid things. I meant, like, you can never have too many friends.”

“I have other friends, too.”

“I believe you. But, you know, I don’t. Have other friends, that is. Not at Goode. And I would like to have friends. Or a friend. I’m actually a pretty nice guy when I’m not saying the wrong thing and offending prospective friends, you know.” Octavian had spoken more words to Nico in one minute than anyone who wasn’t Austin or his family had spoken all week. Nico looked at him again.

Oh gods, his smile was charming as hell. Endearing.

_Danger. Danger. Danger danger danger danger danger._

“Also, not that I’ve been paying attention or anything, but your studio is on the way to mine. Maybe we could walk together or something? Like, on a regular basis? I’ll be getting a car in a few months, too. Maybe I could give you rides once I do. And you can use that time to see if I’m friend worthy?”

Nico felt Octavian’s smile working its way through his insides. “I’ll think about it,” he allowed. And then he smiled too, just a little.

“Great! Now, tell me what I’ve missed over the last three years! Does Mitchell Beauregard still think he jumps way higher than everyone else, even though he totally doesn’t?”

…

 

**_Present Day: November, 2015_ **

“We were friends first. It happened quickly, despite my hesitation early on. And we weren’t just school friends, either. Octavian went out of his way to hang out with me after school and practice. And then he started trying to see me on weekends when we didn’t have dance stuff. And when we _did_ have dance stuff, if he was there he would come and talk to me. No one else really talked to me in our dance community, not even most of the people from my own dance studio, so I felt better whenever he was there. Octavian made me feel like less of a loner. I told Reyna about him when she would call. I told her about how I had a huge crush on him, and that I was nervous about it. I was nervous he would find out and wouldn’t feel the same way. I was more nervous that he would find out and _would_ feel the same way. I liked Octavian, but I was scared, too. I thought what had happened to me had taught me to be more cautious but…” Nico squeezed Jason’s hand tighter. It was the only movement he had made in several minutes.

“I guess I never learn my lesson as well as I think I do,” he continued.

“That November, Octavian ended up confessing his feelings to me before I ever could to him. He told me that he’d actually approached me that day after school in October because he thought I was cute and wanted to ask me on a date. Then, when he saw that I was pretty guarded, he asked me to be friends instead. I… I don’t know, looking back, if that was true or not. Sometimes, when I think about that period in my life, I realize how much I’m still not sure about. My life turned into one big game, not that I was in on it.

“I gave him a chance, though. I thought that the power was in my hands. He made me think the power was in my hands. I didn’t realize that he already had me wrapped around his little finger, but _he_ did. He must have known.”

“So you two started dating, then.” The sound of Jason’s voice startled Nico. He’d been silent for so many minutes. Silent and still. Expression unreadable.

Nico nodded. “Things moved sort of quickly after that. Too quickly, really.”

 

…

 

**_December, 2012_ **

“You wanna come in?” Octavian asked, angling his head toward his front door. His hands were curled around Nico’s, protecting them from the nighttime chill. “We can find you a jacket.”

They’d both just come from their respective dance rehearsals and had plans to go out to dinner once they changed and freshened up a little. Nico smiled as Octavian leaned in and kissed him. “Your mouth is cold,” he said.

“So is yours,” Nico replied, feeling so light that he could have blown away in the wind if not for Octavian holding onto him.

Nico followed Octavian into the house and up to his bedroom. They hung out at Octavian’s house far more often than Nico’s. For one, Octavian was an only child. No fifteen year old sister across the hall to hear them talking. His parents were also almost never home. That was the other reason. No one to walk in on them when conversations ended and kisses became heated.

They’d barely made it through the threshold of the bedroom when Octavian tugged Nico back into his arms and kissed him with the sort of enthusiasm that was reserved for places with no parents around.

“Octavian, we’re here so you can change clothes,” Nico choked out when Octavian finally gave him the chance to breathe.

“So you want me to take my clothes off, is what you’re saying,” he smirked.

Nico’s stomach churned. “I was being serious.”

“So am I,” Octavian shrugged, looping his arms around Nico and stealing more kisses. Nico felt Octavian nudge him backwards, toward the bed. Nico couldn’t help but break away again.

“Something up?” Octavian asked with a quirked brow.

“I just want you to change so we can go to dinner.”

“I was thinking we could maybe hang out here instead. My parents will be out all night, you know. We could…”

“No. I don’t want to do that,” Nico knew there was panic in his voice. Probably too much panic, considering Octavian was his boyfriend and had suggested nothing outside of the realm of what boyfriends did.

“Oh, I see.” Octavian didn’t try to hide the way his face fell. Gods, had Nico hurt his feelings?

“I mean, it’s not about you!” he blurted, trying to salvage the night. “It’s me. I’m not ready.”

“I thought you weren’t a virgin?” Octavian sat down on the bed. Nico was afraid to meet his stare. In his mind’s eye, Nico saw Ganymede’s hazel eyes, his tan skin, his sandy brown curls. He remembered the feeling of hands that were not his own, moving over bare skin that no other boy had ever touched.

 The memories left him nauseated. “I’m not,” he said. “I think if I were… then maybe we could… maybe I would want to… I’m just not ready to do that again. Not even with you.”

“I see,” Octavian said, cutting a sideways glance at Nico. He grazed a thumb over his jaw, which had tightened noticeably in the last minute. Nico was ready to vomit onto the bedroom floor. Stupid. He was so stupid. He was ruining everything with Octavian.

“I’m sorry,” he tried.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Octavian said, but it didn’t sound to Nico like he really meant it. The fact that he would not look at Nico for more than a couple seconds was no comfort.

“Can we… can we just go to dinner?”

“I think I need to be alone for a while. Can we reschedule?” Octavian laid on his back now, staring up at the ceiling fan. Nico had never been more desperate to leave, or more desperate to stay.

“S—sure,” he said, the tightness in his throat a warning of coming to tears. “I’ll text you later.”

“Kay.” Octavian didn’t walk him to the door.

Nico didn’t walk out of the house. He ran.

 

…

 

Nico was still awake that night, thinking about what had happened with Octavian earlier, when his phone dinged with a text.

**Octavian:  (1:55am)**

 

> _I feel really shitty about how things went down earlier. Want to talk. Can I come over?_

Nico looked from the phone, to his alarm clock on the nightstand, and back to the phone. His family was asleep. It was almost two in the morning, long past appropriate boyfriend-coming-over time. But…

But Nico had been a living, breathing panic attack since the minute he’d left Octavian’s and he didn’t think he could sleep until he talked to Octavian.

Unless Octavian was going to break up with him. Then Nico could wait. Indefinitely.

Nico didn’t think he could make matters worse than he already had, so…

**You: (1:56am)**

 

> _Are you breaking up with me?_

**Octavian: (1:57am)**

 

> _What? No! No. Can I please just come over?_

**You: (1:57am)**

 

> _You have to be absolutely silent. I’ll let you in the back door._

Octavian was there within ten minutes. He wasn’t wearing the same clothes as earlier, though neither was Nico. At least Octavian was wearing actual people clothes though, and he’d clearly showered. Nico upon arriving home had put on his pajamas, crawled into bed, and not moved for many, many hours. Octavian said he wasn’t breaking up with Nico, but Nico wondered if maybe the other boy would change his mind now upon seeing what a mess Nico was—in every sense of the word.

“Come in,” he whispered, stepping aside to let the blond into the house, his body pulled taut like the strings of a violin.

They went up to Nico’s room silently. Whether it was because there was a new awkward air between them or because it was the middle of the night and people were asleep, Nico didn’t know.

When Nico drew the bedroom door closed behind them, he found himself leaning back against it for support. Also, it was as far away from Octavian as he could possibly get without leaving the room. He wasn’t sure what Octavian had to say, and until he said something, Nico didn’t want to get too close. He wanted the reassurance of the door at his back. A quick escape if the tears threatened to make a reappearance.

“What’s up?” he said, a little desperate for answers, a little terrified of the silence between them.

“I’m a huge asshole is what’s up,” Octavian said, meeting Nico’s eyes without hesitation now. “I literally could not have been more of a shitty boyfriend earlier, could I?”

“What?” Nico was floored. After all, it was _Nico’s_ fault that things had gone so poorly. His fault for freaking out on a guy who had done nothing wrong.

“I made it seem like I was mad at you for not wanting to have sex with me. That was a dick move on my part. I was upset, I guess that’s true enough, but it’s not like you think.”

“I think that you want to have a boyfriend who you can have sex with, and I fucked that up. I’m sorry for freaking out like that, but I’m just really—”

“Guarded. I get it, Neeks. I’m the one who is sorry. If you’re not ready to have sex, I don’t want to rush you. I mean it. I was upset because I… I _really_ want you. I’m so into you, you know that, right? I’ve never felt this way about someone. I mean like, I want to fuck you. Of course I want us to have sex. I’m in love with you, Nico. But if you aren’t ready, we can wait and I won’t be mad. I swear I’ll be more understanding in the future.”

If he hadn’t been leaning back against the door, Nico very likely would have collapsed. He’d stopped breathing at some point without realizing it, and wondered if maybe his heart had stopped too.

“You, you what? Did you say you… you’re in… what?”

“What did I say?” Octavian tilted his head, confusion swirling in his blue, blue, so blue eyes. Beautiful. Octavian wasn’t perfect looking, but he seemed perfect in that moment. Carved from stone for the love of some king or queen, some super model or god, but he’d stumbled into Nico’s bedroom instead. “That I love you?”

He _was_ perfect. Nico couldn’t bear the thought of him being anywhere else, with anyone else.

Octavian grinned, and Nico’s heart was definitely beating. It thumped forcefully in his chest, fast as a racehorse. “I do. I love you. It’s why I was so upset earlier. I just love you so much that I—”

Nico was already across the room. He didn’t need any space between him and Octavian anymore. None at all. He did not leave even an inch of space between them as he pressed their bodies together, breathed in Octavian’s air, and kissed him hard enough to send them both stumbling backward. Toward the bed.

“I love you, too.” Nico said. He hadn’t allowed himself to completely think that thought before. But he meant it. God, he meant it. He loved Octavian so much he couldn’t stand it. The feeling rushed through his entire body. Love. Someone loved him. Someone was in love with him.

Someone thought Nico was worthy of being loved.

“Good,” Octavian growled, pulling Nico impossibly closer.

Ganymede didn’t matter anymore. The past didn’t matter. He had Octavian. Octavian was his present. His future.

It didn’t matter that he’d been so distraught earlier. That horrible non-argument at Octavian’s didn’t matter.

The time of night didn’t matter.

His family sleeping down the hall didn’t matter.

“Fuck me,” he pleaded against Octavian’s lips.

“What? I thought you didn’t want to yet. We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, even if you love me.”

“I want it. I want you. Right here. Right now.” Each choppy sentence was paired with a searing kiss. Nico couldn’t help himself. Desire had saturated the room like a fog, and Octavian and Nico were shrouded in it. He felt almost dizzy. Octavian loved him. It wouldn’t be like Ganymede. It would never be like Ganymede. Octavian loved him.

“Are you sure?” Octavian said again, because he was perfect.

“Yes. Yes please fuck me. Octavian, God, please.”

So Octavian did. He did he did he did.

And Nico was lost in it. In him.

Nico was lost.

 

…

 

**_Present Day: November, 2015_ **

“Nico,” Jason whispered, brushing his fingers through Nico’s hair with a degree of hesitation that he hadn’t taken with Nico in some time. 

“I know. You don’t need to tell me. I know. That was dating Octavian, that’s what being with him _was._ He was always in control, every minute of every day we were together. He had complete control over me, to the point where he convinced me that I was the one with the power. He made a fool out of me, he manipulated me, he fucked with my head and molded me into whatever he wanted me to be, whenever he wanted it. I thought he loved me. I thought we were on the same page.”

“But you weren’t,” Jason finished.

And Nico laughed. Humorless, but loud. “We weren’t even in the same fucking book.”

Jason saw the coldness that had leaked into Nico’s expression and a knot settled in his stomach. This was Nico stripped bare. A Nico whose innocence had been utterly stolen. Not all at once,  but over and over again until there was nothing left. And only now could Jason see how thoroughly gone it was. How hardened Nico was. The cold, closed off Nico that Jason had first come to know, first tried to woo, was only the thin outer layer of a much deeper, much darker boy.

It made Jason hurt more deeply than he would have expected. He’d never ached so thoroughly from someone _else’s_ pain before. He’d never imagined someone else’s feelings could be so tightly wound with his own. It was terrible and wonderful all at once.

“So what happened?” he said, his voice barely a breath. His eyes studied Nico’s every shift, every facial twitch, every tensed muscle.

“Octavian destroyed me and rebuilt me to be exactly how he wanted me to be. Only he made me think it was all my doing. He made me into someone I could barely recognize in the mirror. And I was blind to it. And I loved him. Or I thought it was love. It felt more like… obsession.”

 

…

**_March, 2013_ **

“Guess who’s back?” Reyna yelled through the phone. “Spring break! Whoop!”

“Did you just… whoop?” Nico laughed.

“Yes, because I’m home for a week and I get to see my very best friend.”

“Really? Tell them I say hi.”

“Shut up. What are you doing tonight? Let’s get Chili’s.”

“Chili’s?” Nico inquired. “What have they been doing to your taste buds up there?”

“I’ve been eating dining hall food for months. Chili’s sounds fucking gourmet right now. So, what’ve you got going on? Think your darling lover will let you go for an evening?”

“Ew, weirdo. Octavian’s my boyfriend, not my… lover.”

Said boyfriend stepped out of the bathroom at that moment, with shower-wet hair and a towel around his waist. He inclined an eyebrow at Nico on the bed. Nico blushed.

“Psh, you two act like characters in some steamy gay erotica and everyone knows it.”

“I wouldn’t say everyone,” Nico said, imagining with horror what it would mean for him if his parents knew just _how_ active his sex life was. Some days, it felt like Nico’s dancing was the only barrier between Nico and around-the-clock marathon sex. Octavian’s libido was borderline ridiculous. And Nico drew the line at sex that interfered with his ability to dance his best. Which meant, when Nico and Octavian had the chance to actually have sex…

It was pretty fucking intense.

And here was Nico, alone with Octavian in Octavian’s house, with a week off from school and dance spreading out before him, and his boyfriend practically naked at the foot of the bed.

Wow, actually fully naked. Octavian let the towel fall with a mischievous smirk. “Oops,” he mouthed.

Naked. Very very naked. And so goddamn hot.

“Nico, are you listening? I asked you the same question like three times now.”

And Reyna. Reyna on the phone. His best friend, home from college for the first time since New Year’s, on the phone right that minute. On the phone and hoping to see him that night.

“Uh, yes?” Nico said.

“Yes you’re listening or yes to my question?”

Octavian grabbed Nico by the ankles and pulled him down the bed. Nico swallowed.

“Get rid of her,” Octavian whispered, mouthing at Nico’s hipbone as he tugged down on Nico’s pants.

“Wh—what was the question again?” Nico willed his breaths to be even, not that Octavian was making that at all easy. He smacked at his boyfriend’s head and pointed at the phone. Octavian shrugged and repeated himself.

_Get rid of her._

“Oh my fuck, Chili’s. You. Me. Tonight. Just tell me when I’m picking you up.”

Nico’s pants were at his ankles now. Octavian ran a hand over the front of Nico’s underwear. Nico bucked up, his mind already hazy.

“Uh, um, tonight?”

“Yes tonight, dummy. I just got home. I want to see you. Berkeley is great and I love my sister but I am _sick_ of her and there is no Nico there for me to worry over day and night.”

“’M not a child, you know,” he said. Octavian had a lube bottle in his hand now. Where had it even come from?

“No, I know, I’m just saying that—”

Octavian yanked off Nico’s boxer briefs in one swift movement and Nico gave a small, surprised gasp.

“Nico,” Reyna’s tone changed so suddenly that it almost tore Nico out of his lusty haze. Almost. “Are you alone right now?”

“Umm…”

“You know what, I don’t want to know. Tonight? Dinner?”

“Yeah, um, dinner sounds great—” Octavian had stopped moving above him. A frown had replaced the devious smile. Nico’s heart clenched. “But could we maybe do it another night? I already had made plans tonight… I’m sorry.”

Octavian smiled wickedly and handed Nico the lube.

“With Octavian?” Reyna said in an even, unreadable voice.

“Um, maybe.”

“Nope. I haven’t seen you in months and he gets to see you _all_ the time. Tell him best friends pull rank.” As if she knew he was only a few feet away from the phone, she repeated loudly “BEST FRIENDS PULL RANK, OCTAVIAN.”

“Look, I’ll call you tomorrow. I promise.” Octavian pressed his mouth into Nico’s neck, sucking hard on the skin there.

She released an exasperated sigh. “Sure, okay. Fine.”

Octavian plucked the phone from Nico’s hand and ended the call. “Prepare yourself quickly, I’m going out of my fucking mind here. Need to be in you so bad.”

“Yes,” Nico moaned, the phone call already half forgotten.

 

…

 

**_Present Day: November, 2015._ **

“I saw Octavian more than I saw anyone. More than I saw my friends. My classmates. The people I danced with. More than I saw my own family. When I did spend time with my friends, Octavian was always there, too. After one of Percy’s last swim meets of high school, we all went out to some diner and he felt me up under the table. Sex wasn’t just a large part of the relationship, it was the formula. The foundation. Everything else was like a sideshow. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of our dates involved at least some form of sexual activity. When I wouldn’t let Octavian… go all the way with me, because of my dance rehearsals and competitions, he found other ways for me to make it up to him. Ways for me to get him off. I always wanted to please him so bad. At the end of that school year, he convinced me to lighten my summer training a little, so I had more time for him. Of course, he didn’t say it like that. To this day, that summer was the most distracted I ever was from my dancing. The summer before college auditions, and I was more focused on pleasing my boyfriend than anything. He said we were going to go to college together. Get an apartment together. I believed him. I believed everything he said.”

Nico felt as if his entire body were full of stones. As if his blood had solidified. Heavy. Dread was a heavy, physical presence, and it weighed on Nico stronger than anything. This, this was the _easy_ part of the story. This was nothing compared to…

“That fall, things started to come apart. It was the beginning of the end, but I didn’t have any idea.”

“What changed?”

“Nothing. Everything was the way it had been the entirety of the fucking relationship. At least on Octavian’s side of things. He didn’t change.”

“But you did?” Jason asked.

“It’s complicated. But… but also really fucking clear. Now, looking back on it, I can see things for what they were. But back then, Octavian had me wrapped around his finger so tightly that he could cheat on me and convince me it was my fault.”

Jason’s jaw was clenched as he said, “Did he? Cheat on you, that is.”

Nico laughed again. It hurt his chest to laugh in such a way. “Cheating implies there was even one honest, genuine quality about him. He was just being himself. A pig. A rat. A snake. Octavian didn’t do monogamous relationships, only he’d never bothered to tell me that. Apparently having a boyfriend who couldn’t constantly have sex with him whenever he wanted didn’t work for Octavian. It had never, at any point in our relationship, been just _me_.” His voice broke on the last word. Nico bit down hard on his lip. He needed to keep it together. He’d never get through what he needed to say if his emotions took hold of him now.

“How did you find out?”

“Remember my school friend that I mentioned, Austin?”

“He told you?”

“No.”

 

…

 

**_October, 2013_ **

After completing his first college audition—and nailing it—Nico headed straight for Octavian’s house. He couldn’t stop grinning. They’d loved him. Octavian’s audition for the same school had been earlier in the week and from what he said, it had gone just as well. They had barely seen each other over the past week, save for stolen kisses at school and one quick handjob in the science hall bathroom, and now they both had several days of bliss where they could be together before getting back to work. Their whole dance careers had been leading to this. Their whole relationship had been leading to this. They would both get in, Nico could feel it. And then they’d go to college together and get an apartment together and do every wonderful thing they had talked about.

Nico practically flew up the sidewalk to Octavian’s house. Octavian hadn’t answered the phone when he called, and Nico fleetingly wondered if his boyfriend was taking a nap. Gods, he hoped not. Nico needed to get his fill of Octavian before he absolutely lost his mind. Now that he was not worrying over his audition, Nico found that he could not take his thoughts off of Octavian for even a minute. He felt on top of the world, he wanted to celebrate, and he had a very specific form of celebration in mind.

Nico’s grin widened as he discovered the door was unlocked. Nico and Octavian always left their front doors unlocked when they were expecting the other to come over, and even sometimes when they were merely hoping for it. Maybe Octavian had seen his missed call after all?

Nico kicked off his shoes at the door. The best thing about Octavian’s house was that his parents were never home before sundown. How many hours had Nico and Octavian spent tumbling in the latter’s sheets? Nico breathed in the familiar scent of the home as he started up the stairs. Home, that was what Octavian’s house was to Nico. Or perhaps “home” was Octavian, full stop.

At the end of the upstairs hallway, Octavian’s door was closed. This _did_ strike Nico as odd. Octavian’s door was nearly always open, unless they were having sex. So maybe Nico had been right before, about Octavian being asleep?

Nico chuckled to himself as he imagined jumping on the other boy in his sleep, waking him up with kisses. Octavian would startle, and then he would realize who the intruder was and smile as wide as Nico. He’d curl his arms around Nico’s waist and pull him closer and Nico would fall into him like he always did. Like he always would.

Nico didn’t even think before pushing open the bedroom door.

But he froze in the doorway.

Octavian was in bed, yes. Nico had been expecting that. But that was the only part of the scene before him that Nico had imagined.

Because, really, Octavian only closed his door for one thing. Sex.

And this—this was no exception.

Nico could have fainted then and there. Or thrown up. Or exploded. Two bodies moved together on the bed, locked together in more ways than one. Soft grunting hit Nico like a physical blow. Tears blurred his vision, as if to spare Nico from the horror before him.

Octavian. Octavian was having sex with someone else. Octavian was having sex with—

“Austin?” Nico choked. The boys in the bed, who apparently had been too caught up in _each other_ to notice Nico before, froze at the word. They turned to look at him—Octavian mildly startled and Austin completely horrified. That was all Nico saw before he started sprinting.

He was halfway down the stairs when he noticed Austin calling his name.

_No no no no no don’t talk to me, don’t say my name. How could you? How could you? Both of you._

Nico needed to stop, to catch his breath, to wipe his tears at least so he could see where he was going. He didn’t. He burst through the front door without even stopping for his shoes.

He’d made it two blocks before Octavian’s car pulled up beside him and a fully clothed and alone Octavian jumped from the vehicle. Nico wondered sickly whether Austin, Nico’s _friend_ Austin, was still inside the house. Still naked in the bed where Nico had spent so many nights.

“No,” Nico said, aiming for a venomous tone but sounding more like a wounded animal. “No, don’t chase after me. Don’t talk to me. I can’t even look at you.”

Octavian approached slowly. Nico considered running. Would Octavian grab him if he tried to run, or let him go?

“Nico, I’m sorry. Please don’t run away. Let me talk to you.” He held out his hands in surrender. “Neeks, you know I love you.”

“Do I?” Nico asked, fresh tears rushing to his eyes. “Is that why you’re cheating on me? Because you love me?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Nico. I love you, really. I want to be with you. I was just so lonely, I’ve missed you so much lately and I couldn’t see you and it was killing me. I have needs.”

“Everyone has needs! That doesn’t mean they go and—and _fuck_ their boyfriend’s friends.”

“I’m weak, Nico. Neeks. I couldn’t help myself. You’re the strong one, not me. Being alone fucks up my mind. And you were so distant I just…”

“Has this… has this happened before? With other guys?” The words hurt even to speak. Nico’s throat was so tight with tears, he wondered if something inside of him was on the verge of snapping.

“No,” Octavian said, and Nico wanted more than anything to believe him.

“Why Austin? Why him? Why didn’t you just talk to me about this? I would have made time to see you.”

“I don’t know. Because he was _there._ Because I knew he wanted me.” The words knocked the wind out of Nico. The realization. Austin _wanted_ Octavian. He coveted him. For how long, Nico didn’t know. His world was unraveling with dizzying speed. Octavian kept talking, and Nico struggled to push thoughts of Austin to the side.

“Dance is the most important thing in your life, Nico. I didn’t want to pull you from the thing you love just for my sake.”

“But I love _you,_ ” he protested.

“But you love dance more,” Octavian said. He didn’t meet Nico’s eyes, and Nico was glad. He burned with a sudden shame.

“That’s not—”

“It’s true. I know it. You know it. And it’s okay, I’ve never resented you for it. But I needed something, Nico. I couldn’t get it from you, and Austin was willing. It was stupid and selfish, I’m sorry. I am so, so fucking sorry. You’re the only one I care about that way. He’s nothing to me.”

“How many times have you—how many times has he been nothing to you?”

“A few,” Octavian admitted, hanging his head. “Three times, maybe. Four at the most.”

Nico’s tears were coming faster than he could wipe them away. “I am so, so mad at you.”

“Nico, please forgive me. We need each other. We’re meant to be together. Austin doesn’t matter to me and it won’t happen again. We love each other, we can come back from this. You don’t want to let what we have go, do you? All our history together?”

The thought of life without Octavian was darker than Nico could bear. More horrible than Nico could bear. Then again, so was walking in on your boyfriend fucking a boy you thought was your friend.

But.. but… Nico loved Octavian so much. Even now, when he wanted to scream at Octavian that he hated him. That he never wanted to see him again, he couldn’t.

“Don’t cheat on me ever again,” Nico whispered. “I can’t handle it.”

“Nico, love, Nico, you’re the one for me. Let me make this up to you. I swear I will. And I’ll never talk to Austin again. Never even look at him again.”

“Don’t say his name, not right now.” Octavian had buckled in a moment of weakness. He’d said so. It wasn’t like it was premeditated. But Austin… Austin must have been wanting Octavian all along. Waiting for Nico to get just far enough out of the picture that he could dig his claws into Nico’s boyfriend. Austin knew that Octavian was his, and he’d had sex with him anyway. Multiple fucking times. “Never say his name. Ever. Again.”

He fell into Octavian’s open arms and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. Then Octavian pulled Nico into the backseat of the car, held him, kissed his head, and drove them both to Nico’s house where Octavian stayed until the following morning.

“I’m sorry too,” Nico said as he and Octavian stood at the front door. Outside, the rising sun filled the whole sky with soft light that was almost timid, but full of promise for the coming day. “Dance is my life, but so are you. I’ll try to make more time for you.”

“Oh Nico, you don’t have to do that. I can’t take your dreams away from you.”

“What if you’re part of my dream?” Nico asked, and when Octavian leaned in to kiss him, Nico himself felt a little like the morning sky. Like the sun was rising on a new level of his and Octavian’s relationship.

He didn’t know then, that the glow between them was that of twilight, not dawn.

 

…

 

**_Present Day: November, 2015_ **

“Oh no, oh Nico,” Jason whispered. “You stayed with him? After he cheated on you?”

“I stayed with him after I found out about Austin, yeah. I thought it wouldn’t happen again. He told me it wouldn’t happen again.”

“But it did?”

“Six weeks later I caught him cheating on me again. Some guy I didn’t even know was sexting him while we were together. And I found some guy’s rubber bracelet in his bed. And one day he had a hickey on his collarbone that I hadn’t given him.”

The look in Jason’s eyes made Nico burn with shame. He wondered if Jason would have any respect for him by the time the night was through. He wondered if Octavian had been right, and if he was the only one who could love the messy disgrace of a boy that was Nico di Angelo.

“Octavian told me that he had an addiction, that he couldn’t help himself. That there was no way he could have me as frequently as he needed me. He didn’t go back to Austin, but there was a line of others. I tried to leave him a few times, but I couldn’t do it. I still loved him.”

“Oh Nico,” Jason said again, and it made Nico want to scream. What did he mean by that? What was going through his head? His expression betrayed little of his true thoughts.

“He told me that anyone in his position would do what he was doing. He said that at least he loved me, and at least I loved him, and I shouldn’t complain because he wasn’t emotionally cheating on me. He made me believe that I couldn’t expect any better, and that if I left him, no one else would want me. And I didn’t want to be alone. Those were some of the worst months of my life.”

“What finally was the breaking point, then?”

A shudder wracked Nico’s body. “Before I get to that… In order for you to properly understand… I need to talk about Bryce.” He wished he could tell this story without explaining Bryce Lawrence. He wished he could spend the rest of his life without ever thinking that name, let alone saying it. It was the only name that felt almost as poisonous on Nico’s tongue as Octavian’s.

“Who is he?”

“I met Octavian in middle school, like I told you. But there were other dancers I’d known much longer. Since I first started dancing as a little kid. And this story really starts before Octavian. Before Ganymede, even. It starts with Bryce.”

“Did you have feelings for him, too?”

Nico almost laughed again. “No. Gods no. We were friends when we were early in our elementary years. We always went to the same dance studio. He was in my dance class every year.”

“So what happened?”

“I know you probably picked up tonight on the fact that other dancers and I… don’t always get along. Being the best in your class, being the favorite of all your instructors, it puts a sort of target on your back. Bryce was horribly jealous of me. Growing up, I would win competition after competition. I would be praised by everyone above me. And Bryce was the second best. That would still be impressive for many people, but it wasn’t good enough for Bryce. He started to hate me as we got older. I mean really, really hate me.

“When we were both in eighth grade, we were the youngest two boys invited to train with this elite Los Angeles Ballet Company as part of one of their summer programs. The older dancers, I don’t know, they escalated the tension between us. They thought it was interesting to see us pitted against each other. They made everything a competition, and I always won. That was the same summer Bryce got his braces off, and he started dressing better and styling his hair differently. He was trying to do everything he could to get the older dancers to like him. And they did, they loved him. But then _I_ was the one who was chosen for a special solo in the ballet. Everyone liked Bryce more than me, but _everyone_ knew I was the better dancer.”

“So this guy… Bryce,” the name sounded rough even as it left Jason’s lips. Harsh. Ugly. Cold. Cold like everything about Bryce Lawrence was cold. Icy. Frigid. Dangerous. “He hated you because he was jealous.”

“It was more than that,” Nico said. “He’d internalized the competition between us so much that I don’t even think he saw other dancers anymore. It was all about besting me, not just in his own mind but in everyone else’s as well. He wanted everything, and he wanted me to have nothing. I… I don’t know. I don’t know how I was so different from the others. We hadn’t been friends for years, but it was that summer that I realized Bryce actually despised me.

“And then he switched dance schools, and we didn’t see each other for a while, save for competitions. He grew into himself even more, obsessing over his looks and dance and everything else in his life that he felt needed to be perfect. I tried to avoid him as much as I could. I didn’t have many friends in dance, and I was used to that, but the idea of having an actual enemy stressed me out.

“Then, sophomore year, our paths crossed again. Kind of. The dance academy that I auditioned for, Bryce had already received an early acceptance to it that winter, and he would be starting the same fall that I planned to. When he found out I was auditioning, I guess he freaked out. He didn’t want me in the same school as him, under the same teachers, stealing his spotlight. He had a boyfriend at the time, an older guy who had recently graduated from the academy, who was helping audition the new students. And he told his boyfriend to ensure that I didn’t get into the school.”

Confusion and then realization moved across Jason’s face. “Ganymede?” he guessed.

“I didn’t know that Ganymede was Bryce’s boyfriend. I didn’t know he was _anyone’s_ boyfriend. And Bryce didn’t know that Ganymede would take ‘stop him from getting into the school’ and translate it into ‘have sex with Nico’ but well, you know how that turned out. And Ganymede got fired. For having sex with a minor. He nearly got arrested over it. And Bryce hated me for it more than he’d ever hated me for anything. He cornered me shortly after that spring break and told me that he was going to ruin my life the same way I ruined his. He told me that just when I was finally starting to feel comfortable and happy, he would rip it all out from under me. He told me that one day I would know what it was like to live in his shadow and I would be blind in its darkness. He told me—”

“Stop,” Jason ordered, panic seizing his face. “You don’t need to say any more. You’re shaking.”

Nico nodded once. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and sucked in a ragged breath. Had he ever repeated Bryce’s words so explicitly to anyone before? Had he ever even said them aloud to himself?

“I’m almost done,” he muttered. “Let me finish. Please.”

Jason said nothing.

“It was February and we had the junior level statewide competition. It’s held every year in Los Angeles. Octavian and I were in the same uncomfortable confusing place we’d been in for months. I was miserable, but I didn’t know how to cure my misery. The more I trained, the more I was away from him, the more he sought out the company of other men. During winter break, I’d completely ignored everyone. My friends. My family. Even Reyna. Every spare second of my day was committed to Octavian. Desperately trying to get him to focus on me and only me. I thought if I could only make him happy enough, he’d stop having sex with the others. Then when school started again, I convinced myself that I was being overdramatic. I somehow made myself believe that the cheating wasn’t so bad. I was still Octavian’s number one, and after things ended with Austin, he didn’t sleep with anyone I had personal connections to. I tried to ignore it for the sake of my own sanity. After a while, Octavian had even stopped apologizing for cheating, but I let that slide too. I was convinced that that was just how things were. I thought I could live with it.

“But then, at State, everything finally fell apart for good.”

 

…

 

**_February, 2014_ **

When Nico walked into one of the dressing rooms to find Octavian fucking someone against the wall, he wanted to claw his own eyes out. Octavian, cheating on him so _blatantly_ , with Nico so _close_. Octavian thrusting against someone who wasn’t Nico, holding him up, grunting with effort and pleasure.

When the two stopped to check who had interrupted them, Nico’s heart didn’t break. It shattered.

It was Bryce Lawrence. Bryce fucking Lawrence naked, with sweat matting his hair to his forehead and a cruel grin on his lips and in his eyes. Nico should have bolted from the scene. Should have fled before his legs gave out.

He could only stare. Where had his voice gone?

Octavian blinked at him. He didn’t even bother pulling away from Bryce. Didn’t offer up any words.

Nico knew he was crying again, like he had the last time he’d seen Octavian’s cheating with his own eyes, but these tears burned as they streaked down his cheeks. They felt like liquid fire as they balled in his throat. Tears of anger. Of hate. Nico wanted to scream.

The nonchalance in Octavian’s posture, on his face, was a thousand individual blades tearing into Nico’s skin. No, they were hooks sticking under his skin, ripping his flesh and leaving him far worse for wear than the initial injuries had. They were arrows being yanked from his gut, each leaving him open and bleeding. They were cigarettes being put out against his bare skin.

“Do you mind, Neeks?” Bryce mocked cruelly, using Octavian’s nickname for him like a weapon. “We’re in the middle of something, and it’s rude to stare.”

_Stop crying. Don’t let Bryce see you cry, dammit._

Nico didn’t look at him. He leveled one glare at Octavian, trying to muster up as much of the newfound hate as he could, and spat out the only three words with mouth could say. “How could you?”

He was out the door seconds later.

Octavian caught him at the end of the hall. This time he physically did have to catch Nico, latching onto his wrist before he rounded the corner. Nico turned back to him and glared up at him with his tear-filled eyes. Octavian looked unrecognizable through the tears. Or perhaps he didn’t look unrecognizable, because he wasn’t the Octavian Nico thought he was at all. Over Octavian’s shoulder, a newly clothed Bryce Lawrence leaned in the dressing room doorway and looked on in amusement.

“You’re being dramatic again, Nico. We’ve talked about this.”

“No. Cheating on me is one thing. Cheating on me again and again and again is bad enough. But I could look past that. Or at least, I was trying to. I was trying to believe you, to believe _in_ you. But Bryce? Fucking Bryce Lawrence? You _know_ all the shit he’s put me through. You know he hates me. You know I hate him. Did I make you angry? Is this some kind of punishment?” Nico’s voice had gone up nearly an octave since he’d started speaking.

“Everything isn’t about you, Neeks. Sometimes it’s just about good sex.” He shrugged, and Nico did not believe anyone could be so callous. He yanked his hand free from Octavian’s grip.

“There was a line, Octavian. And you crossed it. If you loved me, if you even gave half a _shit_ about me—”

“This is who I am, Nico! I’m not out to hurt you. I’m not trying to punish you for something. I’m just being me. I fuck you. I fuck other guys when I feel like it. Sometimes I fuck your stupid, horny little school friends, sometimes I fuck guys from my dance stuido, sometimes I fuck guys from other high schools, sometimes I fuck Bryce or anyone else I fucking please. If your friend Percy ever swung this way, I’d fuck him too and I wouldn’t feel guilty for a second. What are you going to do about it, dump me? Give me a break.”

“Sometimes?” Bryce laughed from his perch against the door. “How many times a week are you calling me up for wild sex? Two times? Three?”

Nico blanched. He felt dirty.

“You got me, Bryce. You really fucking got me. Happy now?” Nico tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He willed his eyes to dry.

“You walked in before your boyfriend could finish getting me off, so no. I’ve been better.”

“Fuck you. Fuck both of you.” He jammed his finger against Octavian’s chest. “Fuck you especially. I’m done. I’m done with this and I’m done with you. We’re over. You and him deserve each other.”

Nico turned to walk away again.

“I wouldn’t leave if I were you,” Octavian called, and there was no hint of kindness in his voice. This must be the true Octavian, Nico realized. The loving, considerate boy Nico thought he knew didn’t exist. “You’re not going to find anyone better than me and you know it, Nico. You fucking know it. Do you think you’ll still get to be my number one when you come crawling back? You should be thanking me. You could have just been another whore on my list but I played along and gave you the stupid relationship you wanted. Who else will humor you like that? Who else will put up with even one third of your shit?”

“Stop. Talking.” Nico said, and now he wanted to claw at his ears as well as his eyes.

“I said Austin was the first one. That was a lie. I was fucking other guys from day one. Do you know how annoying it was waiting for you to put out? Or having you tell me again and again that you couldn’t screw because of dance.”

“Some boys are more fragile than others,” Bryce sneered.

“Shut up. Shut up.” Nico’s legs were frozen again. Panic swelled within him. He had to go. He had to be anywhere else. Anywhere else before he completely broke down.

“Dump me, Nico. I promise it will hurt you more than it will hurt me. I have Michael Stevens, Daniel Johnson, Connor Allen, Diego Garcia, Porter Billings, Alek Bedrosian, Kai Kalani, Jamie Reynolds, Steven Cho—”

“Bryce Lawrence!” Bryce called.

“Austin Lake,” Octavian added. “Who I fucked the shit out of, by the way. He still texts me begging for more. And there’s Andy Parker, that guy from French class whose name escapes me, Oliver Durand—”

He was still calling out names when Nico found his legs and sprinted away as fast as they could carry him.

He didn’t know where he was running to. He didn’t know where he was going at all. Where did you go when you had nothing? When you had no one? When you felt like no one?

He didn’t know. He didn’t know.

Everything he’d known had been torn apart.

And his world was burning.

…

 

**_Present Day: November, 2015_ **

When the tears finally slid from Nico’s eyes, Jason couldn’t take it anymore. When he’d started talking, Nico and Jason had been holding hands. At some point over the past hour, Nico had pulled back. He wasn’t touching Jason at all, and the space between them was far too great. Jason ached for Nico. Ached to wrap his arms around him, to draw him in and hug him and press gentle kisses against his skin. But he didn’t know if Nico wanted to be touched just yet, so Jason settled for balling his fists at his sides instead.

“Please tell me it’s over,” he whispered in a tone that sounded wrecked even to his own ears. “Please tell me they didn’t hurt you any more after that.”

Nico wiped at the tears on his cheeks with the palm of his hand. He looked ashamed, embarrassed, guilty. That made Jason even more anxious and sick.

Growing up, he’d had the lesson drilled into him that violence was not the answer. That hitting people didn’t solve any problems. But here… with Nico struggling not to cry an arm’s length away on the couch, Jason wanted to punch Octavian over and over again until his teeth were only memories in his mouth and his nose was smashed in past the point of reconstruction. He wanted to throttle Bryce Lawrence. Wanted to knock him flat on his back. He wanted to hurt himself too, if only just a little. If they were near a window, Jason wondered if his fist would have gone through it already.

He did not know this darkness roiling inside of him. He did not know a hate like this.

“It’s never really over. Octavian and Bryce are _still_ friends with benefits, and sometimes, at least once a year, I have to see them. I think they like knowing how easily they can hurt me. Last year I tried my best to ignore them but…”

“But what?” Jason’s voice was a killing calm.

“But Octavian caught me off guard and I was weak and he’d charmed me out of half of my clothes before I came to my senses. That was when Reyna started throwing punches. That was the last time I’ve seen him. Bryce I saw over the summer though. Sometimes I think he’s even worse than Octavian. Sometimes I think Octavian is worse. Sometimes I hate myself for ever knowing either of them.”

“You shouldn’t hate yourself, Nico,” Jason told him seriously. The thought of Nico’s self-loathing was worse than any other part of what Nico had told him. Had these wicked, wicked people managed to convince Nico that he mattered so little? Nico, who was so beautiful and talented and funny and kind and smart?

“If you’re having second thoughts about me, or if this isn’t something you want anymore, it’s okay. I promise I understand. You deserved to know the truth, but you don’t have to be okay with it.”

 _Oh fuck it,_ Jason thought, moving across the couch so his face was mere inches from Nico’s. He still didn’t know if Nico wanted to be touched, so he didn’t reach out, but he enjoyed the feeling of Nico’s surprised little breaths against his lips all the same. “Nico, no. No. Don’t say that, please. I would never… I would _never_ leave you over something like that. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me all these things. I don’t judge you for them.”

“Why not? You _should_ judge me. I was an idiot. Octavian ruined me and now I’m a broken idiot who can’t even have sex with a guy he likes without completely fucking things up.”

“You didn’t fuck anything up, Nico. Nothing you have said or done has made me like you any less. Octavian is the idiot, not you. He had no idea who he was letting go of.” He looked into Nico’s eyes, only inches from his own. After what Nico had told him, Jason needed more than ever for Nico to believe that his feelings were real. His heart was racing at their proximity. “I’m not going to make that mistake.”

And then Jason didn’t need to worry over whether or not he should kiss Nico. Nico surged forward and kissed _him._ Jason’s hands flew to Nico’s waist, and he pulled him in like he’d wanted to before. Nico melted into Jason’s arms.

They fit together so easily, so naturally. When they kissed, the whole world seemed to make more sense. When they kissed, emotions exploded in Jason like fireworks. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could kiss Nico and then want to go be with other people. How could someone have Nico’s love and treat it like it was nothing?

He held Nico tightly enough that there was not even a millimeter of space between their bodies and kissed him harder. Nico’s fingers twisted into the hair at the nape of Jason’s neck. Jason thought to himself, _This is a guy I could seriously fall for. Fall hard for._

The thought should have terrified him. Jason had never been quick to love. Malcolm had told Jason he loved him before Jason had even allowed himself to consider whether or not he loved him back. Cecil and Jason hadn’t told each other they loved each other until they’d been dating for nearly a year.

But Nico… Jason could see himself falling for Nico so easily, he wondered if he wasn’t already on his way. If he had been falling for him little by little all along.

When the kiss finally broke, Jason waited for caution and reason to return to his mind, but he was still riding high. Nico seemed to be too, his eyes sparkling from something other than tears. “I like you so much, Jason” he whispered, kissing Jason again. Then, against Jason’s lips he added, “So, so much.

“Be my boyfriend,” Jason blurted before he could stop himself.

Nico froze. Jason drew back slightly so their eyes could meet once more. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to put pressure on you like that. I’m not trying to rush you I just… really want to be your boyfriend.”

A smile quirked at Nico’s lips, “Way to cut me off _and_ steal my line, Jason.” Jason nearly let out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d become. Then, realizing the weight of Nico’s words, he smiled too.

“Wait, were you about to ask me to be your boyfriend?”

“Nothing gets by you, does it?” Nico said, tugging at Jason’s shirt and pulling him until their lips crashed together once again. Jason felt giddy and light. He wanted to scoop Nico off of the couch and dance him around the living room.

“Ask me, then.”

“Nope, you ask _me_.”

“I did ask you!”

“It sounded more like a suggestion to me.”

Jason laughed. “Nico, will you be my boyfriend?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Each word was punctuated with a kiss.

Jason’s cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. “My boyfriend,” he said. “My boyfriend Nico. Yeah, I think I could get used to the sound of that.”

Nico’s smile faltered briefly. “I do have one condition, though. Okay?”

“Anything,” Jason told him, and meant it.

“Don’t ever, _ever_ cheat on me.”

“Trust me, Nico, cheating on you is the last thing I would ever do. I’m kind of dense sometimes, but I’m not a bastard fuckhead idiot.”

Nico snorted. “No, you’re certainly not a… bastard fuckhead idiot.”

“Really, I mean it. I’ve wanted to be with you from the moment I saw you. You’ve given me a chance to prove to you that not all relationships are as fucked up and horrible as what you and Octavian had together. I’m not going to throw this away.”

“I believe you.” Nico whispered, resting his head in the crook of Jason’s neck. “I trust you.”

“And we’re still going at whatever pace you’re comfortable with, Nico. I’m not going to force you into anything.”

“Such a good boyfriend,” Nico murmured. “So if I wanted to go home right now, you’d let me leave?”

Jason panicked for a moment, until he felt Nico smirking against his neck. “You can leave any time you want,” he said. “But I must confess, I’m hoping you’ll stay.”

“For how long?”

 _Forever._ “You could sleep here tonight… if you wanted.”

“Just sleep?” Nico teased.

“Well, I wouldn’t be opposed to making out some more…”

Even if Nico had told Jason he wanted to have sex right then and there, Jason might have told him no. After all Nico had just told him, Jason was more sure than ever that waiting a while longer to have sex was a good idea. He didn’t want Nico to think he was no better than Octavian—that he would tell Nico what he wanted to hear so Nico would give him something in return.

Their newly exclusive relationship, a couple dozen kisses, and a night spent lying beside Nico in bed were all more than enough for Jason that night.

It had taken a lot for them to get here, and Jason knew there would be more trials to come. But for now, with a sleeping boyfriend curled against his side, Jason knew with absolute certainty that _this_ —that Nico—was worth it.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BOYFRIENDS ARE HAPPY. YAY. Again, I apologize for not getting this up sooner. Part of it is traveling, part is watching all of Game of Thrones and reading a lot of books in my free time (including the All For The Game series by Nora Sakavic), but a pretty large part of it has to do with computer problems I was having that seem to have mysteriously disappeared 4 days ago. 
> 
> Now, you'll notice this chapter ends on a pretty happy note. I did that intentionally, because this is gonna be the last time I update this for QUITE A WHILE. I still have plenty more story to tell, but The Murder Suspect is so close to being done that I really want to focus on it. This story is not being abandoned and never will be, but I need to prioritize right now. I hope you guys understand! If you like this story and haven't read my longer fic The Murder Suspect, now might be a time to start. It's my baby and I want to give it lots of attention right now.
> 
> And I mean right now. Time to get to work. It's been 6 LONG MONTHS away from them! Ahhhh!


End file.
